Speaker has instructed the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to ensure that the domestic violence shelters located around the country are reactivated.
Kadaga said that much as the Minister of Gender boasted about the availability of active domestic violence shelters supported by the government around the country, many of them had been shut down.
“I tried to contact the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Kamuli over the issue and I was told that it was not active; can the government look into this?” she asked.
Domestic violence shelters are intended “to provide temporary refuge and basic necessities for women victims of domestic violence; and psychological counselling and emergency medical care to the women victims of domestic violence.”
Initially, there were not more than 15 such shelters in Uganda. Ten are run by an NGO called Action Aid in Amuru, Gulu, Lira, Nebbi, Katakwi, Kween, Kumi, Pallisa, Mubende and Kampala; four were run by MIFUMI in Tororo, Moroto, Mbarara, and Masaka; and one by Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) in Kamuli.