GBV became the major obstacle to poverty reduction, and the drive to curb the spread of HIV and AIDS, according to the Ambassador of Ireland to Uganda William Carlos.When the government of Ireland embarked on providing support towards ending Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Busoga region in 2011, 70% of the women were found to have been victims.

 According to the 2006 Uganda Demographic Health Survey, the women had experienced either physical or sexual violence from the age of 15. Half of the women experienced this violence from their husband or intimate partner within the home. However, only 6% of the women reported their cases to formal institutions like the police, according to the 2006 survey.

GBV became the major obstacle to poverty reduction, and the drive to curb the spread of HIV and AIDS, according to the Ambassador of Ireland to Uganda William Carlos.It equally blocked opportunities to access education and failed efforts to achieve full equality between men and women plus boys and girls. The cost of GBV was suffered by women, children, families, and communities. Now eight years down the road, Busoga sub-region has registered significant progress and reduced cases of  GBV from 74% (in 2006) to 48% (in 2016).

 “It all stemmed from a change in attitude and practices that promoted GBV leading to more women breaking their silence and seeking help whenever GBV occurred,” Ambassador Carlos who hosted a reception at his residence in Kampala to celebrate the gains on ending GBV said.

A total of 192 community activists were trained and supported to mobilize communities to end GBV. Mr. Carlos said the new Ireland policy for international development is focused on gender equality and addressing GBV.

“We all know that development cannot be achieved where there is a high prevalence of GBV in all its forms whether it is in the home, in communities or the workplace, whether it is sexual, physical or emotional,” he said.

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Published: April 27, 2019

The Swedish government has pledged to build the capacity of female Police officers to effectively respond to sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) cases in Uganda. The Swedish envoy to Uganda, Per Lindgarde, revealed that his government would train local security forces on how to address and investigate GBV cases and retool the forensic department of Police to ably handle the cases.“We need to provide the officers with the tools and skills to conduct the necessary interviews in order to investigate GBV-related crimes. A good investigation must be rapid, orderly, critical, comprehensive and objective,’ Lindgarde said.

The envoy also pledged continued support to the justice sector in terms of capacity building.‘This will focus on the entire justice chain in terms of investigation, prosecuting and adjusting GBV cases in a gender responsive, victim-centered and trauma-informed manner,’ he noted. Lindgarde said this would not only enable survivors access justice but also end impunity.

The envoy made the remarks during the launch of the Uganda Police Force caravan to end violence against men, women and girls at Railway Grounds in Kampala yesterday.

The two-week gender-based caravan across the country is part of the 16 days of activism against GBV. During the campaign, data will also be collected on how best t handle these cases.

The first caravan will move through Kampala, Mubende, Hoima, Masindi and Gulu districts. The second will cover areas of Kampala, Mukono, Jinja, Iganga, Tororo and Kamuli.

Clad in white and khaki uniforms, Police officers led by female officers, marched through Kampala city center raising awareness and advocating the end of GBV against women, girls and men.

Lindgarde said human rights and access to justice for women and girls is at the core of Sweden’s investment in Uganda.

He said Sweden recognizes the gains the Police have made in strengthening its gender responsiveness. These, he said include developing the gender policy, strategy and training female officers to better positions.

“We call upon the Police to use the standard operating procedures for management of GBV and cases of violence against children to enhance accountability of officers once they are implemented,” Lindgarde explained.

He said the caravan and border awareness creation on GBV is critical in ensuring that dialogue is held with communities with the aim of genuine engagement and accountability.

‘This activity plays a complementary role to civil society organizations, who are providing women with information on their rights and how to strengthen the linkages for integrated GBV strategies,’ Lindgarde said.

UN Women country representative Maxime Houinato pledged continued support to the Police through capacity building of investigation officers handling GBV-related offences.

“We acknowledge the commendable work of the force in investigation cases despite teu challenges of inadequate resources, both human and financial,” he said.

The Police crime report of 2018 revealed that 17,521 sex-related crimes were registered, out of which 6,454 cases were taken to court. Of these, 920 cases secured convictions, 50 cases were acquitted, 473 cases were dismissed, while 5,011 cases were still pending in court.

The report also showed that 17,682 persons were victims of sex related crimes, out of whom 15,469 were female juveniles, 277 male juveniles, 1,849 female adults and 87 male audits.

Police commitment

The Police director of research, planning and development, Edward Ochom, said the Force is committed to co-operating with civilian agencies protecting life and property, detecting and preventing crime.

“The Police will continue to intensify their efforts in the fight against GBV and violence against women and girls,” Ochom said.

Article by Andrew Ssenyonga / published in the New Vision, November 27 2019 

Enhancing access to justice for all persons is a key objective of the justice law and order sector. This includes enhanced physical access to Justice Law and Order Sector services and improved efficiency in services delivery. Access to justice however also entails special measures to ensure improved access to services by the most vulnerable members of the society.

Legal aid, including legal assistance is a cornerstone of the justice system and contributes to equitable access to justice by the whole community. Currently legal aid service provision is restricted to mainly legal representation in certain criminal matters by the State and legal aid by non-state actors. The Justice Law and Order Sector is currently developing a comprehensive national policy on legal aid to provide the framework for the provision and regulation of legal aid services in Uganda, in line with Uganda’s national, regional and international obligations.

KAMPALA - The Hague Institute for the Innovation of Law (HiiL) in partnership with the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) is set to hold a justice innovation product launch on 5^th November 2020 via a series of webinars and online events.

Uganda is one of the most active countries regarding justice innovation and has a great amount of successes worth sharing. These successes will be supported by new data and research on formal and informal justice delivery in Uganda, which will also be presented during this event.

A second nationwide Justice Needs and Satisfaction Survey in Uganda was conducted in 2019. The event will feature these research findings of problems, resolution and people-centred impacts, as well as findings on the three most pressing problems: Land, Crime and Divorce and Separation.

Also lined for launch is a new integration of survey data with administrative and social media sources, which offers one of the most uniquely comprehensive understanding of justice from multiple perspectives. Stories from thousands of people map out the complex navigation of how people seek to get justice.

This event is a kick off of a series of webinars intended to increase capacity across the country to measure justice, visualize justice data and use it for project proposals and programming.  

Interested in participating in this event? Please REGISTER in advance. Joining the online event is free.

Published: October 30, 2020

The HiiL Innovating Justice Forum is the place where perspectives on user-The HiiL Innovating Justice Forum is the place where perspectives on user-friendly justice meet the reality: bottom up and institutional; justice entrepreneurs and courts; informal and formal justice; innovation and research.

As systems and institutions struggle to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for justice is rising. People from all over the world seek justice within their own system, but often do not succeed in solving a case. With 1 billion people facing a new and serious conflict each year and only 47 % completely or partially resolved, the need for a user-friendly justice system has never been more clear.

How effective is justice if it doesn’t solve the most pressing justice problems of people? How fair is it if it is not timely? We truly believe basic justice care for everyone is possible by supporting user-friendly justice, that is building on what actually works to solve or prevent justice problems. At the Innovating Justice Forum we bring together innovators, lawyers, judges, investors, ministers, leaders and academia to talk about developing and financing universal justice care. Together we form a people-centred justice movement to work towards the mission to achieve equal access to justice for all by 2030.

We play the justice game in a different way. We create a justice system that is accessible, affordable and people-centred. #people-centred justice.

REGISTER FOR THE 2021 INNOVATING JUSTICE FORUM

FACTS AND FIGURES (HUMAN RIGHTS)

1) Observance of human rights across JLOS has continued to improve over the SDP IV period. This is attributed to increased establishment of human rights structures and mechanisms across different JLOS MDAs at national and sub-national levels, training of JLOS staff in human rights, and application of the standards in the administration of justice

2) In July 2021 H.E. the President appointed Ms. Mariam Wangadya as the new Chairperson of the Commission. She and five members of the Commission were sworn in on 30th September 2021 to commence work. The UHRC has nonetheless continued to maintain its ranking of “A” status.

3) Despite the COVID-19 disruption, the proportion or remand prisoners reduced from 52% in 2016 to an annual average of 50.6% in 2020/21. The lowest levels of 47.7% were reached in FY2018/19 as a result of increased case disposal.

4) The Sector, through the UHRC enhanced civic education using the media and dissemination of IEC materials, and this was complemented by the Electoral Commission and CSOs. The national election season was constrained by the COVID-19 pandemic and this limited the extent of physical association and citizen engagement

5) JLOS efforts to reduce human rights violations have broadly registered positive impact over the SDP IV period. The focus was largely on institutionalising human rights mechanisms within JLOS MDAs, building knowledge capacity amongst JLOS officers, enhancing monitoring inspection of key functions and processes, strengthening the legal and policy framework on human rights, and holding all persons involved in human rights violations accountable

6) In 2020/21, case clearance by UHRC was posited at 14.8% against a target of 76%. The UHRC concluded only 70 complaints through mediation because its tribunal was non-functional for the entire year. Currently, the UHRC is fully constituted and all mechanisms are functional.

7) JLOS has maintained human rights structures and mechanisms in key institutions, including the UPF’s Directorate of Human Rights and Legal Services established in 2015, Human Rights Desks in all 28 police regions, Human Rights Committees in all 259 prison units across the country, and human rights desks in key MDAs including ODPP, and MoJCA

8) At the institutional level, JLOS continued to support its human rights mechanisms and ensure their functionality, and established new ones as well. The focus has largely been on the criminal justice chain where human rights violations were observed and reported by members of the public

FACTS AND FIGURES (ACCOUNTABILITY)

1) Since 2016/17, the perception index against corruption has improved from 25% in 2016 to 27% in 2020/21

2) The fight against corruption was strengthened through increased capacity building and enforcement of anti-corruption laws, combined with a heightened focus on asset recovery

3) The Anti-corruption Division (ACD) of the High Court is one of the anti-corruption hallmarks of achievement of JLOS over the 20-year period. Established in 2009, the ACD has emerged as a leading mechanism in the fight against corruption in Uganda, and a benchmark for the African region.

4) During the SDP IV implementation period, the ACD case clearance rate has increased by a proportion of 30%, from a rating of 89% in 2016/17 to 115.6% in 2020/21. Over the same period, the ACD disposal rate has grown by 15.5%.

5) Uganda’s ranking under the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) score also dropped from 28% to 27%. Uganda’s international rank also dropped from 137th to 142nd of 180 countries assessed. This is largely attributed to the prevailing apathy where the public is complicit in the growing levels of corruption in Uganda

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

1) According to the World Bank Doing Business Report 2021, Uganda registered an improvement in the index from the baseline of 57.7 in 2016 to 71.4 in 2021 representing a 23.7% growth over the SDP IV period

2)  The Sector has invested in reform and implementation of commercial laws, deconcentrating, expansion and automation of business and civil registration services to enhance efficiency and ensure geographical reach

3) Through the Tax Payer Register Expansion Program (TREP). , The Sector also enhanced and strengthened coordination with other relevant institutions such as URA, LGs, KCCA, municipalities and private sector associations leading to increased formalization of informal businesses

4) The Sector has continued to implement strategies aimed at enhancing the efficiency of all the business registries and measures to support automation and integration of registries for better communication.

5)  Automation of business registries was given particular attention as it facilitates customer-oriented service that promote more efficient growth and operation of businesses. The strategies implemented under this strategic intervention include: retooling and equipping registries; records management; staff training and placement; and stakeholder sensitization.

6) DID YOU KNOW?? Time taken to register a business/company. In 2016 – 02 days; in 2021 – 03 hours

7) The improvement of processes at URSB with support from JLOS has also seen significant growth in its NTR. The total NTR collection as of End of FY 2020/21 was UGX. 40.52 bn. compared to UGX. 37.96 bn. in FY2019/20

8) The URSB hosts a Call Centre and social media platforms to facilitate interaction between the public and the Bureau, to ease access of information about URSB services to the Clients and to facilitate feedback to clients by URSB staff for continued service improvement

Adopted from the JLOS Annual Report (2020 - 2021)

The Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) on 14th December 2021 held the 26th edition of its performance review for the FY 2020/ 2021 at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala. This event was organized by the JLOS Secretariat will have the participation of stakeholders from all JLOS member institutions, JLOS Development Partner's Group (DPG), the general public, civil society, and the media. A key component of this event (and major topic of discussion) was the presentation and discussion of the JLOS Annual report for the FY 2020 / 2021 under the theme "Empowering the people. Building Trust. Upholding Rights".

DOWNLOAD: JLOS ANNUAL REPORT (2020 - 2021)

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Keynote address by the Chief Justice at the 25th Annual JLOS Review

Published: 27th November 2020