Institute of Development Studies

IDS Alumni's reports on CARE's Protection from Violence Campaign in Uganda

Lee Webster (MA18) is Campaigns Manager for CARE International UK.  She tells us about a recent trip to Uganda, to meet women activists campaigning for an end to gender based violence.

CARE International works with women in conflict and post-conflict situations to build protection from violence, and to provide support to survivors.  At international level we lobby governments and the UN to implement legislation that protects and supports women, promotes access to justice and ends impunity.

I combined my IDS MA in Gender and Development with my commitment to women’s issues. I was thrilled to be able to put this into practice through my role with CARE International.  I run Voices Against Violence campaign, which calls for an end to conflict-related violence against women.  I was invited by colleagues at CARE in Uganda to take part in their activities during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (25 November to 10 December), to share experiences of campaigning on gender based violence, and to collect information and personal accounts from women who had experienced violence.

I arrived in Kampala on 25 November – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.  An article in a Ugandan national newspaper that day stated that 12,829 sexual violence cases were reported to police in 2007. There were just 28 convictions with 8,512 cases still pending enquiry. It’s a stark reminder of the scale of the problem that the campaign is up against. The women I met were determinedly positive and upbeat, playing their part in a campaign against the violence.  We marched through town centers, held rallies in disused fields, and invited local politicians and dignitaries to hear the demands of Ugandan women.

I visited towns in Northern Uganda which had been badly affected by the conflict.  Gender-based violence is widely used as a tactic of war. Women I met spoke about armed men who would rape women at night, and cut their lips as punishment for speaking to the government.  Unfortunately, as often happens after conflict, the levels of gender based violence have remained high, despite peace accords, and a huge surge in domestic violence being reported.

Over 300 women travelled to Kampala for a meeting in parliament and a march around the streets of the capital, joined by hundreds of other women activists.  A huge boost for the campaign came when Hon. Edward Ssekandi, the speaker of parliament, symbolically signed a UN petition to end violence against women.  It’s a small step, but it’s in the right direction.

It was a huge privilege to take part in the caravan of women, and to share stories, hopes and aspirations with women activists determined to make a difference for future generations.

IDS alumni who would like more information about Voices Against Violence and how to get involved, please visit Care International Voices against violence campaign.