Police in Kabale are struggling to prosecute men involved in habitual Gender Based Violence because of low witness turn up and women who keep following their husbands in custody to plead for their release.
This was revealed by the Officer in charge of Kabale Police, Family and Child Protection Unit, IP Margret Kamiranga, while speaking at a Dialogue held at White Horse Inn Kabale, to discuss Gender Based Violence in the District.
The Dialogue was organized by Local Sustainable Communities –LOSCO, a Kabale Based Non-Governmental Organization involved in Environmental Activism and Human Rights Advocacy.
Ms Kamiranga revealed that from January to November 2021, 202 cases of GBV were reported to her office, 17 were taken to court but only one man was convicted and cautioned. 114 cases were solved by reconciling the conflicting parties, while 71 cases were still pending due to unfinished investigations.
She noted that her office was prioritizing reconciliation by counselling married couples involved in Domestic Violence while habitual offenders were being arrested and prosecuted in court to prevent fatal cases.
Kamiranga however, explained that they were challenged by cases in which they arrested violent men accused of beating their wives nearly to death, but the victims later pleaded for the release of their husbands. She explained that the women gave excuses that their husbands are the sole breadwinners at home, and detaining them would put the families at a risk of starvation.
Kamiranga added that most cases of GBV were not reported by women who didn’t want their spouses arrested.
The Kabale Senior Probation Officer Monica Muhumuza Nnzeirwe also said that the other challenge faced while dealing with GBV was the refusal of witnesses to testify against offenders. Muhumuza explained that most GBV cases were not investigated to completion because the witnesses also avoided getting involved in long Police investigation processes .
The Local Sustainable Communities –LOSCO Executive Director Albert Taremwa called for strengthening of the law that gives protection to witnesses if GBV cases are to be tackled and consequently reduced. Mr. Taremwa asked Parliament to consider reviewing clauses of the law that offer maximum protection of witnesses because in some cases, the offenders were high profiled people in Government who use their positions to interfere with investigations.
Meanwhile, as Uganda joins the rest of the world in the campaign titled “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence,” an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls, Government has acknowledged recording a high prevalence of teenage pregnancies and defilement cases, revealing that 649,955 teenage pregnancies were recorded between 2020 and 2021 in Uganda.
This was revealed by Vice President Rtd Maj. Jesica Alupo, in a statement on the national campaign against defilement, early marriages and failed parenthood that was today launched by Government at Kololo Independence Grounds.
The Vice President said that since March 2020, statistics show increased cases of defilement and teenage pregnancies in the country and cited a study conducted by the United Nations Population Fund.
The study found out that a total of 354,736 teenage pregnancies were registered in 2020, while 295,219 teenage pregnancies were registered between January to September 2021. Among the districts with the highest cases of teenage pregnancies included; Kamuli 6,535 Mayuge 6,205, Mukono 5,535 Wakiso 10,439 Rakai 2,711 Luwero 4,545 Kampala 8,460.
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