By Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu
MBARARA
In a significant milestone for human rights advocacy in Uganda, the Grassroots Defenders Fund was launched on July 5th at Hotel Triangle in Mbarara city. The fund, established by human rights defenders under the umbrella of All in One Women’s Association (ALOWA), aims to provide critical support to grassroots defenders and journalists who face challenges and threats while promoting human rights.
The fund chairperson, Irene Number One, welcomed members and thanked them for their cooperation, revealing that the fund has been seeded with UGX 150,576,000 (approximately USD 40,000) from member organizations through membership and annual subscriptions.
The fund aims to provide urgent assistance to human rights defenders who are threatened, arrested, or affected while defending others.
Counsel Shallon Ndyamusiima, a member and National Coordinator for Civic Space Movement, outlined the objectives of the fund including obtaining resources to assist human rights defenders in their work. The fund will provide support for legal fees, medical costs, relocation costs, humanitarian and family support, and replacement of destroyed equipment, among other needs.
Donah Kyomugisha, Regional Coordinator for the Grassroots Defenders Fund, emphasized that being a human rights defender requires assertiveness and knowledge, not necessarily formal education. She also highlighted the issue of preparing girls for marriage, where they are often told to keep family secrets, leading to mental illness and suffering. She urged all women in such situation to stand tall against such societal norms and beliefs and report such incidences to such organization to get psychosocial support.
Masika Fiona, an advocate and human rights defender at Friends of Women Initiative (FROWI), shared her experiences of torture by rich violators who influence justice. She expressed hope that the fund will provide the necessary support to end such violations. Masika urged journalists to join the fund because they are among those who are always targeted by human rights violators.
Christine Ainomugisha, representative from the Uganda Human Rights Commission’s Mbarara regional officeoffice who was also the chief guest commended Grassroots Human Rights Defenders’ efforts, noting that they face similar challenges, often related to family matters. She advised human rights defenders to know the right stakeholders and report cases to the appropriate offices, such as the Uganda Human Rights Commission, the anti-corruption unit, or the Inspector General of Government. She revealed that most human rights violators are government officials ranging from LC1 chairperson to statehouse officials. She urged the Grassroots human rights defenders to always report such cases to UHRC. She also advised human rights defenders to always involve security agencies like police to be secure and they promote human rights.
The launch of the Grassroots Defenders Fund marks a significant step forward in supporting frontline human rights activists in Uganda. The fund’s objectives align with the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, which recognizes the importance of protecting and supporting human rights defenders worldwide.
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