By Admin
Having received many cases of human rights violations during the lockdown since COVID 19 broke out in Uganda in March 2020, Defence For Human Rights (DEFOHR) a human rights Non Government Organization in Uganda, has decided to start weekly programs on six local radio stations in western Uganda.
According to DEFOHR’s Executive Director Ms. Florence Orishaba, police stations in western Uganda have registered increased cases including violation of the rights of Children who are currently in their home due to closure of all education institutions to tame Corona Virus Disease.
While speaking to our reporter, Florence Orishaba said Women’s rights have been severely violated and domestic violence increased where some are currently traumatized due to poverty and unemployment that have entangled their husbands.
She said many husbands have resorted to selling off marital property without including wives in transactions. This has to a larger extent caused family breakout resulting into divorce, women being beaten to death by husbands and committing suicide at some point, children losing parental care etc.
He further claimed that DEFOHR offices have equally received many cases of human rights violations where the organization’s paralegals have reportedly received a lot of issues to handle.
DEFOHR has there come up with an initiative in partnership with local leaderships and seven radio stations in western Uganda to hold weekly radio talk shows to sensitize people about human rights and how to overcome human rights violations, and how to handle human rights violations in case one experiences violations.
While talking to our reporter, the Resident District Commissioner of Ibanda District Ms. Mary Bashongoka Kamaduka warned of men beating wives over land issues saying that whoever is found that he beats his wife after consuming alcohol during the lockdown risks being arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
Bashongoka says since March 2020, over 160 men in Ibanda District have been arrested in connection with disorganizing their families during lock where some have been charged and cautioned while others have been prosecuted in courts of law and faced punishments.
She further reminded public against selling and buying land which is the presidential directive stopping land transactions during lockdown made in March last year.
She appreciated DEFOHR for extending this human rights programme to Ibanda district also.
While launching this program at a scientific function held at the Greenview Gardens in Ibanda town, the Resident District commissioner of Kamwenge district Mr. Godfrey Mucunguzi said in his speech that since this year alone, over 210 cases of domestic violence have been recorded due to COVID related economic impacts in the district.
The Executive Director of DEFOHR Ms Florence Orishaba, a human rights organization, hopes that the human rights sensitization radio programme shall have great impacts on mitigating human rights violations in over 25 districts of western Uganda and has asked local leaders to work closely with their subjects to reduce on the rate at which the human rights violations are increasing.
DEFOHR is running this one year project that started this July 2021 in partnership other organizations in Ankole sub region such as Uganda Volunteers Group (UGAVOG) another human rights organization defending the educational rights of girls in western Uganda by advocating for the provision of free sanitary pads for school going girls to reduce the rate at which young girl drop out of schools, Active Citizens Uganda (ACU).
DEFOHR has run similar programme using Fm radio stations in 2018 in only 10districts of Bushenyi, Ibanda, Kisoro, Mbarara, Kagadi, Kamwenge,Kiruhura, Buhweju, Ntungamo and Isingiro and the project yielded good fruits.
Ms Florence has urged married men and women to always seek redress of family problems and misunderstandings from their local political and religious leaders before making wrong decisions that may end up with murders, imprisonments, household poverty and divorce.
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