The Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has asked MPs to name and shame men involved in committing sexual offences against girls and women.
“Most offenders in defilement and rape are usually people that we know but because they are relatively highly placed in our communities we turn a blind eye,” said Kadaga.
Kadaga was speaking at a dialogue meeting between Uganda Network on Law Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET) and Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) on ending gender based violence and HIV under the theme; Re-strategising to reposition and reclaim the power women MPs have in ending violence against women.
The dialogue was held at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala, Wednesday 15th Nov. 2017.
The Speaker said that defilement is common in schools and in the home. She added that as leaders, there is need to speak out and bring to shame the perpetrators some of whom are known in the community.
“I knew someone who was found to be defiling his daughter; when the Police arrested him, he attempted to get help from me to which I declined because it is totally unacceptable,” Kadaga said.
The Speaker also raised concern over the growing statistics related to gender based violence and HIV infections, generated by UGANET, that indicate; 570 new HIV infections in girls per week and 17,567 defilement cases registered in 2016 up from 13,118 in the previous year.
“These statistics are very frustrating because in 1990 in Parliament, I used to talk about the need for a family desk and family courts. This is very unsatisfactory considering the time we have all put to reduce the numbers,” she said.
Kadaga emphasised the need for Members of Parliament and UWOPA to refocus energies on formulating legislation to address the problem.
“We need to rise up to the occasion on speeding up the process of formulating the Sexual Offenses Bill, 2016. Bring this Bill before the close of the Second Session because it has been hanging in balance for a long time,” she said.
The Sexual Offenses Bill, 2016, is aimed at con¬sol¬i¬dating all laws relating to sexual offenses, combating sexual violence; and providing for punishment of sexual offenders.
Dorah Kiconco Musinguzi, the Executive Director of UGANET, appealed to the government to reposition the voice of leaders to champion women causes in ending violence against women.
“We have so many social injustices tied into gender based violence that elevate HIV infections; it is incumbent on us to tie up these loose ends and control these figures,” Musinguzi said.
UGANET is an organisation that advocates for the development and strengthening of an appropriate policy, legal, human rights and ethical response to Health and HIV/AIDS in Uganda.