Women Strive Forward: Reducing incidences of Gender Based Violence among women and girls in Wakiso, Uganda

About the project

Gender-based violence (GBV) has been documented as widespread in Uganda and has been ranked as the biggest women’s rights issue that Ugandans want their government to address (afrobarometer.org). In line with Sustainable Development Goal 5, which calls for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence, the Government of Uganda launched a National Gender-Based Violence Action Plan in 2016, which was reviewed in 2019.  

The plan aims to end practices that promote violence against women and girls and to create a framework to ensure support and access to health services and justice for victims; however, implementation gaps persist. Survivors often face stigma, limited access to healthcare, and inadequate legal protections. In Wakiso district, these challenges are exacerbated by a lack of community knowledge about GBV laws and services.  

Project partners, Action for Rural Women’s Empowerment, will address gaps in GBV prevention and response by building local capacity, fostering stakeholder collaboration, and strengthening referral systems, ensuring that community-driven solutions align with national frameworks. 

This will be achieved by: 

• Conducting quarterly community outreach and media campaigns to raise awareness of GBV laws, policies, and referral pathways. 
• Training 24 community opinion leaders in GBV advocacy, awareness, and case referral. 
• Facilitating biannual meetings between grassroots advocates and duty bearers to improve health service delivery and accountability. 
• Producing policy briefs, position papers, and petitions to address gaps in GBV response. 
• Convening biannual meetings to share experiences and strengthen collaboration among organisations working on GBV and gender-related issues. 

As a result of the project, it is hoped that community knowledge of GBV laws and services will be enhanced and leaders will be empowered to advocate for improved support for survivors. Strengthened referral pathways will ensure survivors have timely access to healthcare, legal aid, and protection services. Advocacy efforts will influence policy and resource allocation, contributing to systemic improvements in GBV prevention and response in Wakiso district.