Domestic Violence is one of the crimes against women which are linked to their disadvantageous position in the society.

Domestic Violence refers to Violence against women especially in matrimonial homes. Therefore violence is recognized as the significant barriers of the empowerment of women, with consequences of women’s health, their health-seeking behavior and their adoption of small family norm. However an attempt has been made to study whether ever married women of reproductive age group in Uganda view wife beating as Justified in addition, the prevalence of beatings and physical mistreatment since age 15 and also in last past years are used as the dependant variables.

Background characteristics such as Education, age, marital duration, place of residence, caste, religion, sex of the head of the house hold, standard of living, work status of women, exposure to mass media and the autonomy of women with respect to decision making, freedom of movement ad access to money are linked to domestic violence. An autonomy made is computed to understand the relationship of women’s autonomy with domestic violence.

Bivariate analysis is used to examine the variation of domestic violence by background characteristics. Logistic regression is carried out to predict the domestic violence with the selected independent variables. The analysis shows that the women belonging to the social- economic status are more likely to agree with each of the different reasons justifying wife beating.

There are various forms of sexual violence. Rape the most often cited form of sexual violence is defined in many societies as sexual intercourse with another person without his/her consent. Rape is committed when the victim’s resistance is overwhelmed by force or fear or other coercive means. However the term Sexual and Gender Based Violence encompasses a wide variety of abuses that include sexual threats, exploitation, humiliation, assaults, molestation, domestic violence, incest, involuntary prostitution (Sexual bartering), torture, insertion of objects into genital openings and attempted rape.

Female genital mutilation and other harmful traditional practices including (early marriage, which substantially increases maternal morbidity and mortality) are forms of Sexual and gender based violence against women which cannot be overlooked nor justified on the grounds of traditions, culture or social confirmity.

Since perpetrators of Sexual and gender based violence are often motivated by a desire for power and denomination, rape is common in situations of armed conflict and internal strife. An act of forced sexual behaviors can threaten the victim’s life. Like other forms of torture. It is often meant to hurt, control and humiliate, while violating a person’s physical and mental integrity.

Perpetrators may include refugees, members of other clans, villages, religious or ethnic groups, military personnel, relief workers and members of the host population of family members (for examples when a parent is sexually abusing a child). The enormous pressures of life such as having to live a closed camps, can often lead to domestic violence. In many cases of Sexual violence, the victim knows the perpetrators.

Because incidents of Sexual and Gender Based Violence are under reported, the true scale of the problem is unknown. The World Bank estimates that less than 10% of sexual violence cases in non-refugee situations are reported.

Two principle types of under-reporting are found in situations in the slum include.

• Under reporting by the victims, which can lead to distorted figures that suggest that there is no problem and
• An absence of figures relating to sexual violence with in official statistics.

It is essential to know that the problem of sexual violence is serious.

Reporting and interviewing techniques should be adapted to encourage both victims and relief workers to report and documents incidents.

Reporting and follow up must be sensitive; discreet and confidence so no further suffering is caused and lives are not further endangered.

In reporting it is recommended that the definitions such as confirmed rape cases or sexual violence in general are provided and a rate calculated e.g. the number of reported cases per 10,000 people over a given period of time. This rate would allow for monitoring of trends and comparisons with other areas.

Sexual and Gender Based violence has acute physical, physiological and social consequences. Survivors often experience physiological trauma: terror, guilt, shame, loss of self esteem. They may be rejected by spouses and families, ostracized, subjected to further exploitation or to punishment. They may also offer from unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion, sexual transmitted diseases including HIV, Sexual dysfunction trauma to the reproductive trait and chronic infections leading to pelvic inflammatory diseases and infertility.

If men are responsible for distributing goods and necessities, women may be subjected to sexual exploitation. Those women without proper personal documentation for collecting food rations or shelter material are especially vulnerable.

Women may have to travel to remote distribution points of food water and fuel, their living quarters may be far from latrines and washing facilities, their sleeping quarters may be unlocked and unprotected.

Lack of police protection and lawlessness also contribute to an increase in Sexual Violence. Police officers, military personnel, relief workers and government officers may themselves be involved in acts of abuse or exploitation. If there are no independent organizations, such as UNHCR or NGO’S to ensure personal security with in a slum, the number of attacks often increases.

1. PROBLEM STATEMENT

In Uganda, as many as one in every three women has been coerced into sex or abused in some other way- most often by someone she knows, including by her husband or another male family member.

One woman in four has been abused during pregnancy.

Violence against women both violates and impairs or mollifies the enjoyments by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms…….in all societies, to a greater or lesser degree, women and girls are subjected to physical, Sexual and physiological abuse that cuts across lives of income, class and culture.

Gender Based violence both reflects and reinforces inequities between men and women and compromises the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims. It encompasses a wide range of human rights violations including sexual abuse of children, rape domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, trafficking of women and girls and several harmful traditional practices. Any one of these abuses can leave deep psychological scars, damage the health of women and girls in general, including their reproductive and sexual health and in some instances results in death.

Violence against women has been called “the pervasive yet least recognized human rights abuse.” Accordingly the Human rights conference on women gave priority to this issue, which Jeopardizes women’s lives, bodies, psychological integrity and freedom violence may have profound effects- direct on a woman’s reproductive health including;

• Unwanted pregnancies and restricted access to family planning information and contraceptives.
• Unsafe abortion or injuries sustained during a legal abortion after unwanted pregnancy.
• Complications from frequent, high-risk pregnancies and lack of follow-up care.
• Sexually transmitted infections including HIV.
• Persistent gynecological problems.
• Psychological problems.
• However, there are other problems within the same theme.
• Unemployment
• Poverty
• High illiteracy rate and ignorance due to lack of education

Gender Based violence also serves by intention or effect-to perpetuate male power and control. It is sustained by a culture of silence and denial of the seriousness of the health consequences of abuse. In addition to the harm they exert on the individual level, these consequences exert a social roll and place a heavy and unnecessary burden on health services.

UNFPA recognizes that violence against is inextricably linked to gender-based inequalities. When women and girls are expected to be generally subservient, their behavior in relation to their health, including reproductive health, is negatively affected at all stages of the life cycle.

UNFPA puts every effort into breaking the silence and ensuring that the voices of women are heard. At the same time the fund works to change the paradigm of masculinity that allows for the resolution of conflict through violence. One strategy is to engage men-policy makers, parents and young boys in discourse about the dynamics and consequences of violence.

As the chart below shows, women may face different forms of violence at different stage of their lives.

Finally in the words of secretary general, “Violence against women continues to persist as one of the most heinous, systematic and prevalent human rights abuses to all efforts for development, peace and gender equality in all societies.

2. PROBLEM JUSTIFICATION

Najjembe division has had so many cases of sexual and gender based violence in the past years directly or indirectly and even today. Unfortunately it is the women and the children who end up suffering extremely since they are the victims in these cases. However history keeps repeating its self and so this problem has never ended. The victims continue suffering in silence in silence while the perpetrator goes unpunished.

This organization aims at identifying the underlying causes of injustices in sexual and gender based violence, domestic violence in Najjembe slum and bring to the attention of the Ugandan government e.g. the policy makers of the country and other partners like the NGO’S working in the country to take appropriate action.

Further more the innovation aims at identifying cases of child trafficking, school dropouts, high rate of unemployment, rampant poverty, high rate of illiteracy and ignorance especially in teen mothers, women, adolescent youth, as well men in the whole division disunity at large as well the country.

The project intends to fill the gaps made by other organization so as to come up with absolute and accurate data so that these issues identified can be dealt with right.

The purpose of the organization is to find out the underlying causes of injustices in sexual and gender based violence. In a nut-shell which will be assessing the causes/factors/reasons why the victims do not get justice. The organization looks at why the perpetrators of sexual and gender based violence are not behind bars.

The organization will however focus on the victims of sexual and gender based violence. It intends to find out the situation of the victims and why they are not rising up and not fighting for justice and if they do stand for justice, what happens to their cases, are they getting justice.

3. DESCRIPTION OF SOLUTIONS

Women’s right to live free from violence is upheld by international agreement such as the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women especially through general recommendations 12 and 19 and the 1993 UN declaration on the elimination of violence against women .UN women works with countries at the global level to advance the international normative framework through support provided to inter-governmental processes such as the general assembly.

There are partnerships with Governments dual agencies, allied society organizations and other institutions to advocate for ending violence, increase awareness of the causes and consequences of violence and build capacity of the partners to prevent and respond to violence.

We also promote for the changing norms and behavior of men and advocate for gender equality and women’s rights.

Through supports expanding access to quality multi-sect oral responses for survivors covering safety, shelter, health, justice and other essential services.

Policy guidance helps to step up investments in prevention the most cost-effective, long term means to stop violence.

Working with government to develop dedicated national action plans to prevent and address violence against women, strengthening coordination among diverse actors required for sustained and meaningful action.

Implementation of capacity building programs especially to teen mothers among other categories of people making them job creator than Job seeker to eradicate poverty and unemployment.

Have an empowered community on issue of sexual gender based violence and its effects.

Promoting education at all level especially in primary and secondary to empower girl child education as well boy who times are the victim.

Further more establishing a permanent structure where education will be promoted for both levels as well a vocational training centre which will help to stimulate informal education than formal education making people job creator than Job seekers hence controlling unemployment and eradicating poverty in both genders.