By Ritah Kemigsa
The women’s movement in Uganda is calling for urgent establishment of government-run shelter homes or allocate some resources to the already existing private ones.
The call is made by Susan Achen, the program officer for women’s rights and access to justice at the Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) as the country continues to mark the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence (GBV).
Every year, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign (25 November — 10 December) inspires people around the world to learn, reflect, and take action to end violence against women.
Achen says currently, there are only 13 shelter homes owned by Civil Society Organisations, yet they are an important tool for rehabilitation of victims of GBV.
She says the high cost of running these private shelter homes is weighing down on the CSOs whose funding has been dwindling due to the covid-19 pandemic.
