Action for Youth Development Uganda calls for joint effort in fighting GBV

Aaron Ainomugisha.

The Action for Youth Development Uganda (ACOYDE) has called for joint effort by government, individuals, religious leaders, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders in fighting Gender-gender based violence (GBV) and other human rights violations.

Carol Owashaba, the team leader for ACOYDE and coordinator for Girls not Brides western Uganda emphasized this during community sensitization in Nyamitanga, Ruti, and other parts of Mbarara city yesterday.

Owashaba stressed that lack of joint effort in sensitization has created room for escalation of GBV cases which stakeholders are ensuring that it is curbed down.

In western Uganda, districts like Isingiro, Kiruhura, Kyegegwa,Rubirizi, among others are registering many cases including teenage pregnancies, early marriages and other cases.

Investigations indicate that some parents/guardians are giving cow ghee to their daughters so that they can look mature and they are married off especially in Kiruhura and Isingiro.

In the last two weeks, four girls aged between 13-15 years who had been married off were rescued following ACOYDE and partners’ intervention.

This comes at a point when Uganda is joining the rest of the world to mark 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

This international campaign runs every year from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day.