How Much Does It Cost to Seek Justice in Uganda?
By Rebecca Harshbarger
Domestic violence survivors in Uganda. Amnesty International.
This month, London-based NGO Amnesty International (AI) zeroed in on Uganda, and took a unique look at one aspect of sexual violence– the different expenses Ugandan women face when seeking justice for sexual and domestic violence.
How much does it cost to seek justice in Uganda? AI calculated costs for victims that include:
- Paying for the transportation of the police to arrest the perpetrator. For instance, if a neighbor defiled your daughter, the onus would be on you to transport the police to the scene of the crime. This might involve paying for gas to fuel an officer’s car, renting a car, or having boda-boda (motorbike) drivers take the officers.
- Spotting the cost for a forensic examination
- Other investigation-related expenses
“When I went to the police station they asked me for money for fuel which I did not have. My husband beat me again but I gave up going to the police because they always ask for money which I don’t have,” one woman told Amnesty International. Uganda has no state-run domestic violence shelters, and charities often have turn away women for lack of space.
I can’t help but wonder how hard it would be for the Ugandan government to (as a starting point) rent some simple spaces, add gerry cans and inexpensive mats, and have trained officers, security guards and counselors present? The salary for the average security guard is about $25 a month, and most police officers make between $75-150 a month. Many counselors also often don’t make more than $200 a month. Would it be so hard or expensive to set up some spaces where women could take shelter in temporarily, even if just at nights?
Concrete, easily monetized expenses like these are, of course, the tip of the iceberg. Some officers blame women for sexual and domestic violence, and stigma is a serious issue. Separating with your partner or spouse is also very difficult, especially if he is the breadwinner. How do you split from your partner, who pays for the bills, when you most likely have a large family together? And does the stress and violence that Ugandan men themselves encounter in their daily lives contribute to domestic violence? This isn’t to take the blame off of perpetrators, but nothing occurs in a vacuum.
Domestic violence in Uganda is a very complicated issue. According to the report, police said that it was not unusual for a woman who reported her partner for assault, to beg for his release a few days after his arrest , since his absence was leading her family to bankruptcy.
All these costs explain why many more women and girls experience sexual and domestic violence than seek justice.
- One in four Ugandan women, according to the AI report, say their first sexual encounter was forced
- 60 percent of women report enduring physical violence after the age of 15, and two-thirds say it was from an intimate partner.
- Women are more likely to experience violence if they try to negotiate safe sex (condom use), when there is conflict over property between the family and their children, and when their partners have relationships with younger women.
This narrative from the report sounds all too common to me…
“In July 2007, I was raped by three men on my way home from work. I felt very ashamed about what had happened and did not go to the police station or to the hospital. A few months later I began to feel unwell and I went to the hospital for a check up and I was told that I was HIV positive. I told the staff at the hospital that I had been raped and they did nothing. They did not give me a medical check-up or any medicines. They only tested me. I did not want to go to the police. I did not tell anyone else, that is my secret.” A woman named June told AI.
What do you think can be done to stop sexual and gender violence in Uganda? What are factors that lead to it? And why do few press reports also highlight both the structural and literal violence that many Ugandan men face on a daily basis, often from their communities?
To read more, visit Africa Connections’ featured blog Namirembe: Eyes On Women in Great Lakes Region.
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