Socioeconomic transformation to end GBV against women, says Museveni

President Yoweri Kagute Museveni has blamed violence in homesteads on poverty which has eaten up many families in the society.

According to Museveni, families which do not earn a living face severe Strife’s and quarrels thus increasing on the cases of violence.

“The family is not earning, those people are fighting over poverty, they are not earning,” he said. “Not long ago, the 2014 Census said that 68 per cent of homesteads are working for the stomach,” he added.

The president made the statement on Monday March 8 at State House during the celebrations of International Women’s Day.

 According to a police report, a total of 16,242 cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) were reported between January and June 2020.

Museveni however expressed that when homesteads start earning comfortably there will be zero violations of rights hence an end to Gender Based Violence.

 He said social economic transformation should be key if Ugandan women are to transform totally.

Museveni urged women to engage in four sectors of the economy that the government is focusing on: commercial agriculture; small factories (Industry);services and; Information Communication and Technology. 

The historically illusive president further said that over 60% of the families are not earning an income because they lack necessary sensitization. He called for educating of people on homestead income similar to what he did in the early 1960s during his time as a young boy.

” It is possible! I did when I was a student leader. I was not MP, I was able to educate those people in the early 1960s and recently when I came back I resumed 1986 and they changed. There are there their address is well known,” added Museveni.

The IWD2021 was commemorated on the global theme: Choose to challenge whereas Uganda’s theme was: ‘Women in leadership’ aimed to achieving equal opportunities in the COVID-19 pandemic.