Tag Archives: gender justice

2015 Women’s Advocacy Network Annual General Meeting asks “What is the future?”

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The second day of the Women's Advocacy Network 2015 Annual General Meeting, 18 November 2015.

As the year 2015 come to an end, more than 100 members of the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) held their annual general meeting at Comboni Animation Centre from 17th to 18th November 2015 to review the year and discuss plans for 2016. The two day meeting was attended by members from all over northern Uganda to discuss the success and challenges of the WAN.

The meeting was guided by questions such as: what has been done? What has not been done yet? What needs to be done? What is the future of WAN?

The meeting began with an opening prayer by participant members from Can Rwede Pe Women’s Group. After this, the WAN chairperson listed the successes the WAN has achieved in 2015. These included opening a WAN bank account and medical services being secured for people with fragments of bullets still in their bodies. The WAN has alsoregistered in Gulu district as a community-based organisation (CBO), conducted child tracing and family reunification processes, and admitted three new groups from Adjumani, Pader and Lira districts.

The meeting informed participants about some of the pending tasks including following up on the petition WAN made to parliament in 2014, advocating to ensure the needs of war-affected women are considered in the PRDP 3, and also organising a meeting with the Office of the Prime Minister to make proposals for consideration of WAN members in government programmes.

However, challenges were also noted: a member from Rwot Lakica Women’s Group said that too much sunshine has affected their harvest which has affected the yield of  a livelihoods project being implemented by the WAN. Also the threat of physical violence during child tracing and lack of unity and cooperation among WAN group members has at times brought other challenges.

When asked what needs to be done to work effectively in 2016, a member of Okony Wa Women’s Group from Pader said that members should have unity, hard work, continuous lobbying and love for one another.

The WAN’s proposed plan for 2016 includes the groups contributing to the new WAN account through membership dues, proposals for funding being written, child tracing and family reunification continuing, sub-county officials being trained on gender-related issues affecting women, conducting group savings, holding exchange visits, as well as trainings on clerical skills for members.

In all, the AGM was a successful event that brought together more WAN members at one time than any other event. It contributed to exchange and learning among members and has set the foundation for an active and fruitful 2016 for the network.

Read more about the WAN here.

See pictures from the AGM on JRP’s Facebook page here.

Breaking the silence through community dialogues on SGBV

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The chairlady of Amapara women’s group addressing the community in Aringapi subcounty on 8th October 2015 on the challenges that survivors of SGBV are facing in the community.
The chairlady of Amapara women’s group addressing the community in Aringapi subcounty on 8th October 2015 on the challenges that survivors of SGBV are facing in the community.

In the past three weeks, JRP’s Gender Justice Department has conducted dialogues in the communities of Adjumani, Pader and Lira districts. The dialogues are part of activities under a project that aims at ending re-victimization of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and providing redress for the challenges they face with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The dialogues were an opportunity to openly talk about sexual violence and break the silence that surrounds it since silence around SGBV and the social challenges connected to it make women more vulnerable and often compounds their suffering. Due to the stigma that is attached to SGBV, survivors are usually hesitant to speak and ‘die’ in silence. It is this stigma that has contributed to the under reporting of the crime to authorities or to even family members leading to little or no interventions in communities. Stigma leads to a lack of justice for survivors and is also a source of other human rights abuses such as domestic violence. Opening community spaces to talk about what for generations has been known as a taboo is contributing towards the re-integration of survivors of SGBV in the communities.

A day before each of the community dialogues would begin in their respective communities, survivors engaged their local leaders so that the leaders are able to understand their plight and support them to cope and reintegrate in the communities. Issues that needed the intervention of the whole community were discussed the following day during the dialogue. Community leaders, who include clan elders who are respected people in the community and who play key role in changing community attitudes, then joined hands with survivors to talk to the community on issues such as stigma on survivors of sexual violence and rejection of children born as a result of sexual violence. Using drama and songs, survivors were able to communicate what would have otherwise been difficult to talk about given the social norms around sex and sexual violence that exist in their communities. Following the dialogues some community leaders came up with resolutions to handle re-victimization such as through by-laws dealing with stigma and which would allow for those who insult survivors of SGBV in the community to be arrested.

The community dialogues are aimed at undertaking survivor led engagement with the community and developing a positive attitude towards survivors of SGBV. This is to ensure that future transitional justice efforts towards SGBV are communally owned and supported.  We are also glad to say that women in communities were dialogues took place last year reported reduction in stigma.

Addressing the Unredressed – Gaps and opportunities for affirmative action for war-affected women within local government programmes and services in northern Uganda

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Policy Brief - Addressing the Unredressed Cover

On 15 September 2015, the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) at the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) convened a round-table meeting between 24 local government officials and 16 WAN members. The purpose of the meeting was to explore opportunities for war-affected women to benefit from existing and proposed government programmes as an interim avenue for redress for conflict-related wrongs they experienced during northern Uganda’s longstanding conflicts. The meeting was attended by sub-county chiefs, community development officers (CDOs), district community development officers (DCDOs), chief administrative officers (CAOs) and district speakers from Adjumani district in the West Nile sub-region; Gulu, Amuru, Pader and Nwoya districts in Acholi sub-region; and Lira district in Lango sub-region.

The meeting was supported with funding from the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), through a grant from the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women as well as the Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), Kampala. The objectives of the meeting were to share findings of a recent needs assessment survey conducted by JRP; to explore opportunities for war-affected women under current and proposed government programmes; and to facilitate discussion between war-affected women and their leaders on matters of justice, reconciliation and redress.

This policy brief draws upon the discussions and recommendations that emerged from the meeting and seeks to inform local governments across Uganda on the avenues through which they can work within their existing mandates to better meet the unredressed justice needs of war-affected women through targeted development assistance. It is divided into four sections: a background on transitional justice (TJ) including the major development programmes in the country, conflict sexual violence and the advocacy of the WAN at JRP; the needs and challenges facing war-affected women in northern Uganda; gaps, challenges and opportunities for local governments in meeting these needs and challenges; and practical recommendations for local and national government officials, war-affected women and civil society organisations.

Read the full policy brief here: Policy Brief – Addressing the Unredressed (PDF)

Alone Like A Tree: Reintegration Challenges Facing Children Born of War and Their Mothers in Northern Uganda

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Alone Like A Tree: Reintegration Challenges Facing Children Born of War and Their Mothers in Northern Uganda
Alone Like A Tree: Reintegration Challenges Facing Children Born of War and Their Mothers in Northern Uganda

Women in northern Uganda suffered various forms of conflict-related sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV) during the region’s longstanding armed conflicts. These have resulted in ongoing forms of re-victimisation, including those associated with the lasting effects of bearing and caring for children born as a result of conflict sexual violence, what this briefing terms “children born of war” (CBW). Unfortunately, acknowledgment and redress for CBW and their mothers is largely lacking in the transitional justice (TJ) in Uganda.

The Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), a Ugandan non-governmental organisation that works for justice and reconciliation with grassroots communities, conducted a consultation with conflict-affected women and local leaders from September to October 2014. This was done in an effort to identify emerging needs and challenges facing CBW and their mothers so that policies and programmes can be developed and implemented to meet and address these needs. The consultation sought the views of more than 447 people and found that stigmatisation, rejection, trauma, behavioural challenges, meeting basic needs, identity and access to land continue to be major challenges facing CBW that are likely to only intensify as these children come of age.

Organised into eight sections, the briefing provides an introduction and methodological overview, background on CBW and TJ in Uganda, analysis of numbers and key challenges according to mothers of CBW and local leaders, and recommendations for the Government of Uganda and other stakeholders on what is needed to address these challenges and provide meaningful redress to CBW and their mothers.

Key findings

  • 1,609 children (both CBW and non-CBW) between the ages of <1 to 31-years-old are being cared for the participating members of the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN).
  • Eighty percent of the children older than five years old are reported to be in school, but paying school fees are reported as the number one challenge in caring for male and female CBW.
  • 437 (27%) of the 1,609 children reported were conceived because of an act of sexual violence against the mother. 311 (68%) were conceived in captivity, 80 (18%) were conceived of rape, 33 (7%) were conceived of defilement, and 33 (7%) were conceived of sexual exploitation.
  • 481 (30%) of the fathers of all children reported were in an armed group at the time of conception. Of the children conceived through sexual violence, 330 (88%) of the fathers were in the LRA and 46 (12%) of the fathers were in the states forces (Uganda People’s Defence Force [UPDF] or National Resistance Army [NRA]).
  • The primary challenges facing CBW include stigmatisation and rejection, trauma and behavioural challenges, inability to meet basic needs, identity, and access to land.
  • There are unique gender dimensions to the needs of CBW, with female CBW being more susceptible to sexual exploitation and abusive marriages, and male CBW being without resources for dowry and land to settle on once married. Both male and female CBW of school-going age face challenges with school fees.
  • Local leaders report being aware of CBW in their communities, but suggest lack of data is an obstacle to the development of programmes and policies that benefit them. There is a general belief among local leaders that CBW and their mothers access more existing programmes than they do in reality.
  • More data is needed on the numbers and needs of CBW in order to inform interventions, especially at the sub-county-level.
  • There is need to better understand the challenges facing CBW from their own perspectives, and what the women and children’s justice and redress needs and expectations are.
  • Every stakeholder has a role to play in addressing the challenges raised.
  • CBW need counselling and social support, so they can come to terms with their complex identities.
  • The Government of Uganda (GoU) must prioritise support to CBW and their mothers through medical care, education, child- and family-tracing, land and housing, livelihoods, and by providing equal support as men as they provide male ex-combatants.
  • The GoU must investigate allegations of corruption and nepotism, especially with regards to government programmes for vulnerable groups, such as CBW.
  • Fathers who are alive and known should be held accountable and provide child support.
  • More steps must be taken to involve men and the community in programmes that offer assistance to CBW and their mothers.
  • CBW and their mothers should be encouraged to seek unity and relief through groups and peer support.

Key recommendations

  • More data is needed on the numbers and needs of CBW in order to inform interventions, especially at the sub-county-level.
  • There is need to better understand the challenges facing CBW from their own perspectives, and what the women and children’s justice and redress needs and expectations are.
  • Every stakeholder has a role to play in addressing the challenges raised.
  • CBW need counselling and social support, so they can come to terms with their complex identities.
  • The Government of Uganda (GoU) must prioritise support to CBW and their mothers through medical care, education, child- and family-tracing, land and housing, livelihoods, and by providing equal support as men as they provide male ex-combatants.
  • The GoU must investigate allegations of corruption and nepotism, especially with regards to government programmes for vulnerable groups, such as CBW.
  • Fathers who are alive and known should be held accountable and provide child support.
  • More steps must be taken to involve men and the community in programmes that offer assistance to CBW and their mothers.
  • CBW and their mothers should be encouraged to seek unity and relief through groups and peer support.

To read the full situational brief, please read: Alone Like A Tree Reintegration Challenges Facing Children Born of War and Their Mothers in Northern Uganda (Pdf)

Acknowledging children born of war on the Day of the African Child

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On the International Day of the African Child, 16 June, special attention needs to be paid to children born of war.
On the International Day of the African Child, 16 June, special attention needs to be paid to children born of war.

Every June 16, African Union member states and their partners celebrate the International Day of the African Child (DAC) to renew efforts to improve the lives of children on the continent. In its petition presented to the Gulu District Local Government (GDLG) in August 2013, 73 members of the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) emphasized the challenges they are facing in caring for their children born in captivity (CBC) and of conflict-related rape. They called for comprehensive bursary packages for these children, training for teachers on how to best support these children, psychosocial support for the children, and changes in laws that require knowledge of paternal lineages. In response to this presentation, the GDLG supported the WAN in presenting a follow-up petition before the Parliament of Uganda in Kampala, which ultimately resulted in a resolution being passed by the Parliament on the plight of persons affected by the war in northern Uganda. Prayers 7 and 8 of the resolution call on Government to instate a regional mechanism to “identify, integrate and regularise stateless children born in captivity” and review laws that require information on the paternity of a child to disclosed.

Recognising the necessity to better understand the needs of these “children born of war” (CBW), a term we have adopted to refer to any child conceived as a result of conflict-related sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV), JRP set out last year to consult WAN members and their local leaders on the needs and challenges facing CBW and their mothers. Among 380 the WAN members who participated, we documented 437 children conceived out of an act of conflict SGBV against their mothers during the war, with 88% of the fathers believed to have been members of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and 12% of the fathers believed to have been members of the State’s National Resistance Army (NRA) or Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF).

Major challenges facing CBW include: stigmatisation and rejection, trauma and behavioural challenges, inability to meet basic needs, identity, and access to land. Further, we learned that there are unique gender dimensions to the needs of CBW, with female CBW being more susceptible to sexual exploitation and abusive marriages, and male CBW being without resources for dowry and land to settle on once married. Both male and female CBW of school-going-age face challenges with school fees. Local leaders we spoke to reported being aware of CBW in their communities, but suggested lack of data is an obstacle to the development of programmes and policies that benefit them. There is a general belief among local leaders that CBW and their mothers access more existing programmes than they do in reality.

Today, in honor of the Day of the African Child, JRP has released a briefing on the consultation findings and recommendations, titled, Alone like a Tree: Reintegration Challenges Facing Children Born of War and Their Mothers in Northern Uganda. Key findings include:

  • More data is needed on the numbers and needs of CBW in order to inform interventions, especially at the sub-county-level.
  • There is need to better understand the challenges facing CBW from their own perspectives, and what the women and children’s justice and redress needs and expectations are.
  • Every stakeholder has a role to play in addressing the challenges raised.
  • CBW need counselling and social support, so they can come to terms with their complex identities.
  • The Government of Uganda (GoU) must prioritise support to CBW and their mothers through medical care, education, child- and family-tracing, land and housing, livelihoods, and by providing equal support to women as they provide to male ex-combatants.
  • The GoU must investigate allegations of corruption and nepotism, especially with regards to government programmes for vulnerable groups, such as CBW.
  • Fathers who are alive and known should be held accountable and provide child support.
  • More steps must be taken to involve men and the community in programmes that offer assistance to CBW and their mothers.
  • CBW and their mothers should be encouraged to seek unity and relief through groups and peer support.

The WAN and JRP encourage additional efforts by local and national government authorities to recognise CBC and other categories of CBW, such as children born of rape by state forces, and the development and implementation of measures to meet their needs and deliver redress and justice for the human rights violations they and their mothers have faced.

Read JRP’s situational brief on children born of war here.

Working for gender-just reparations

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Members of the Women's Advocacy Network and the Justice and Reconciliation Project prepare to meet policy-makers to ensure that interim measures will be set up to address the issues war-affected women and their children face.
Members of the Women’s Advocacy Network and the Justice and Reconciliation Project prepare to meet policy-makers to ensure that interim measures will be set up to address the issues war-affected women and their children face.

Since 2012, the Women’s Advocacy Network has worked to advocate for the inclusion of war-affected women’s reparations and accountability, to promote and respect of the rights of children born of war and to empower and build the capacity of its members to be more effective leaders. Last March, WAN successfully presented a petition to Parliament through the Uganda Women Parliamentarian’s Association seeking its intervention in addressing issues and challenges faced by war-affected women in the Acholi sub-region. That petition and others presented by other similar organisations working to provide redress for victims of the LRA insurgency were consolidated and resulted in a Parliamentary resolution on 9 April 2014.

In order to ensure that the resolutions adopted by Parliament are put into action, WAN and the Justice and Reconciliation Project are carrying out a campaign to ensure the inclusion of gender-just and age inclusive reparations in national policies and programmes in Uganda. As part of the campaign, WAN and JRP intend to meet policy-makers to ensure that interim measures will be set up to address the issues war-affected women and their children face as the Ugandan government works to implement Parliament’s resolution.

This May, WAN accompanied by staff from JRP’s Gender Justice team traveled to Kampala to meet with Delta Partnership, consultants brought on by the Office of the Prime Minister to assist with the third phase of Uganda’s Peace, Recovery and Development Plan. The objective of the meeting was to inform the consultants about the challenges faced by the war affected women and children of northern Uganda so that such needs and challenges are catered for in the design of the new PRDP and other government programmes. During the meeting, we discussed the priority of needs of war affected women that comprise WAN and that only being indicative but also reflective of the needs of other war-affected women based on assessment JRP carried out in April.

We also paid a courtesy call at Uganda Women’s Parliamentary Association and the Uganda Law Reform Commission to discuss how existing and upcoming programs can benefit war affected women and children of northern Uganda. We also requested for a meeting with the office of the Prime Minister to get involved in the campaign. During these visits, we also got leads on other gainful strategies for the petition follow up.

Stay tuned for updates on the progress of the WAN and JRP’s campaign to ensure gender just reparations in Uganda here.

Women establishing a new peace agenda

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From 26 April to the 2May 2015, Women’s Advocacy Network chairperson Evelyn Amony and I travelled to The Hague to attend a conference organised by the Women’s International League for peace and Freedom (WILPF). The trip was organised by Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ). This conference was aimed at bringing together hundreds of women peacemakers from all over the world to establish a new peace agenda for the 21st century. Members who attended the meeting joined other international activists to celebrate the work of women peace makers all over the world. One of the outcomes of the conference was a resolution condemning bombing, blockading and the use of explosive weapons in populates areas in Yemen.

During this period we also attended the launch for the WIGJ publication Women’s Voices.  During the launch of the WIGJ publication Evelyn shared her experience as a female survivor of the war in northern Uganda and discussed  how she has managed to pick up and become an advocate for gender justice r with other women.  She also shared about the work of the Women’s Advocacy Network.

We also participated in an open lecture at the Interntional Criminal Court premises with the prosecutors, investigators, analysts and advisors to the prosecutor on the conflict in northern Uganda. We shared our experience working towards ensuring victim-centred justice with the ICC team, including the aspect of reparation, reconciliation and victim’s involvement.  We also shared about the dynamics of the conflict in northern Uganda were a victim can also at the same time a perpetrator.

Read more about the work of the Women’s Advocacy Network here.

Victoria Nyanjura, a powerful woman

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Victoria Nyanjura featured in the May 2015 edition of Marie Claire Spain.

Victoria has been at JRP since August 2013, when she began volunteering with JRP’s Gender Justice department. Her mobilisation skills, hard work and dedication eventually led to her becoming a full time staff with JRP. As a formerly-abducted person herself she says that she is specially placed to do the work JRP does.

“There is a way that I’m strong and can understand the women,” she says, “They really feel comfortable interacting with me.”

Currently, Victoria is key in implementing JRP’s livelihood project funded by Uganda Fund through planning, ensuring activities are effected and providing support for the women’s groups. As a member of the Women’s Advocacy Network, Victoria is also involved in creating awareness for the network and engaging potential partners. She has attended numerous national and international conferences where she has presented on the needs and challenges of war-affected women and their children. In the past, she has also been responsible for coordinating Gender Justice activities, facilitating community mediation and outreach and report-writing.

“What do I enjoy about working at JRP? Working with the women. The interface. All along I had wanted to work with women and children, and now I’ve achieved what I wanted.”

Victoria graduated with a Bachelors degree in Development Studies at Kyambogo University in Kampala, where she learned about conflict-resolution and ethics, community initiatives and gender studies, all of which, she says, has contributed enormously to her work at JRP.

“I want to be a great woman,,” she admits, “I would love for the experiences I went through to open doors for somebody who cannot speak for themselves. I want to use my experience to improve the lives of many people by talking to them and giving them courage. They’ll say, ‘Victoria was this and now she is able to be this. What about me?’ They can learn from that.”

New openings at the Justice and Reconciliation Project!

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JRP has openings for a Gender Justice Project Assistant and M&E Assistant
JRP has openings for a Gender Justice Project Assistant and M&E Assistant

Are you committed to responding to gender-based issues and the needs of vulnerable in conflict-affected communities? Do you have M&E experience?

The Justice and Reconciliation Project now has openings for dynamic and talented individuals with a passion for peacebuilding and human rights. Check out our Jobs & Internships page for more information on two job openings for a Gender Justice Project Assistant and a Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant. 

Note that the deadline for these jobs is Monday, 13 April!

Rwot Lakica Women’s Group releases video for ‘Lubanga Ber (God is Good)’

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Members of Rwot Lakica pose with Jeff Korondo, 7 February 2014 in Gulu
Members of Rwot Lakica pose with Jeff Korondo on 7 February 2015 in Gulu

Rwot Lakica Women’s Group, a member of the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) at JRP, is pleased to release the music video for its new song “Lubanga Ber (God Is Good)” featuring group members and Acholi musician Jeff Korondo. The song and video, which chronicle the challenges facing formerly-abducted women during captivity and upon return home, were produced by Music for Peace (MfP), an initiative of northern Ugandan musicians to promote the power of music for peacebuilding and positive social change. It is envisaged that the song and video can be used by Rwot Lakica and the WAN as advocacy tools for redress and accountability for the wrongs they experienced during northern Uganda’s longstanding conflicts.

“Lubanga Ber,” recorded in the Acholi lakubukubu style, begins by thanking God for taking away the troubles and disturbances the women faced while in captivity of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). This includes persevering the long treks, the heavy rains, and the tall mountains. It alludes to the stigmatization they faced from the community after turning home, saying “The low opinions they used to have about me, He has taken them away. The beauty of God can be seen on me.” The song also notes the present-day struggles of many formerly-abducted women, including lack of money to pay school fees for children (including those born in captivity), and access to land, shelter, and feeding. Another notable feature of the song is its call to those still with the LRA in central Africa to return home, and the appeal to know the Government of Uganda’s response to the women’s plight. Korondo’s verse urges the Acholi to embark on education, prayer, and protection of land.

The group intends to publicize the song through radio and dissemination to partners. The women are particularly interested in ensuring that it gets played in LRA-affected areas in central Africa, so that those still with the rebels can hear their voices and defect. They intend to produce additional songs in MfP’s recording studio in Gulu, so that their messages for peace and reconciliation can continue to be heard.

Watch the video here: