The Minister of State for Gender, Labour, and Social Development in charge of children and youth affairs Barugahara Balaam has called upon Ugandans to embrace government programs as a solution to end poverty which is the main cause of gender-based violence.
While speaking at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on October 11, 2024 at the commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child, day meant to promote awareness of the challenges girls face and to advocate for their rights, education, and empowerment, Barugahara said that embracing key government programs is the only solution to get Ugandans out of poverty.
“The only way we can end gender based violence and violence against children is to embrace PDM, Emyooga, Youth livelihood programs, Grow loans and all opportunities so that we can get out of poverty and then we would have solutions for early marriages,” Barugahara said.
Barugahara however noted that government action alone is not enough and asked all stakeholders, parents, community leaders, civil society organizations, religious and cultural leaders and the private sector to also join the fight against forced marriages, teenage pregnancies and school dropouts.
“We must take joint actions to ensure all our girls enroll and complete all levels of education, live healthy, free from violence and all harmful social norms. We must work together to dismantle all barriers that hinder girls’ progress in Uganda,” Barugahara added.
According to the representative of Plan International Mr Kwesiga Christopher, poverty worsens gender-based violence (GBV) by increasing economic dependence, limiting access to resources, and reinforcing harmful social norms.
“Women in low-income households are 2.5 times more likely to experience violence than those with higher incomes. Economic stress can elevate domestic violence incidents by up to 60%, while communities with high poverty rates often show greater acceptance of violence against women. During economic downturns, cases of domestic violence can rise by 10-15%, underscoring the link between financial instability and increased vulnerability to violence” Kugonza said.
The Plan International representative also gave statistics that almost half of the children and young people surveyed reported they had no, or very limited access to food (43%), with girls and young women more likely to struggle to access food and water. 44% of girls said they had no or very limited access to water, compared to 39% of boys, most likely as a result of pre-existing gender inequality.
Daniel Arrom the representative of the Country director for United Nations Population Fund said that their mission is to ensure that every girl has education, good health and the capacity to reach her full potential.
“Every girl should have the ability to make informed choices about her body and her health and a right to live a life free from harmful practices such as female genital mutilation,” Arrom added.
As Uganda celebrates the day of the girl child, girls and young women, in all their diversity, still need all the support they can get to organize and mobilize themselves to ensure that they, and their organizations, are fully equipped to play their part in the future of their communities and the country as a whole.