Lady Justice Damalie N Lwanga, Executive Director of the Judicial Training Institute, has praised the leadership of Principal Judge Dr. Flavian Zeija in the Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Programme, which has successfully conducted six sessions.
She stated that the current review meeting is crucial for evaluating the objectives of the previous sessions and preparing for the seventh session.
“Today’s post-activity review will help us evaluate the objectives of the sessions and ensure we are on track to meet our targets,” she stated.
The two-day meeting, being held at Mestil Hotel and Residences in Nsambya, brings together key actors in the criminal justice system, including the Uganda Police Force, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Judiciary, Uganda Prisons Services, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, and development partners such as UNFPA, the Australian Development Cooperation Agency, the Spotlight Initiative, and Sweden Sverige.
Rachel Odoi, Senior Technical Advisor of the Governance and Security Programme, noted that the session is an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned and to move forward in improving performance and achieving targets such as case backlog reduction and enhancing the quality of justice.
She highlighted the success of the previous session, which covered 12 districts and achieved an 80 percent case disposal rate.
Odoi also pointed out a concerning reduction in conviction rates from 74 percent to 64 percent, urging stakeholders to understand the reasons behind this decline.
“Whereas justice is not solely about conviction, a high conviction rate indicates that investigations were done well,” she said. She emphasized the need for continued coordination among justice actors to reduce SGBV crimes and alleviate pressure on the justice system.Odoi said
Laura Criado, Programme Coordinator for UNFPA, praised Uganda as a regional role model in the fight against SGBV. She stressed the necessity of fast-tracking the disposal of SGBV cases and finding sustainable solutions, including traditional justice systems.
Criado also highlighted the challenges posed by the lack of witness protection and inadequate prioritization of SGBV cases, calling on the Government of Uganda to increase funding.
Dr. Katja Kerschbaumer, Head of the Austrian Embassy Development Cooperation Office, commended the efforts of UNFPA and the Judiciary. She noted the international recognition of Uganda’s Justice, Law, and Order Sector (JLOS) approach to SGBV cases and emphasized the importance of continuing these efforts.
“More than 2000 cases of SGBV have been concluded since 2018, and our ultimate goal is to facilitate the disposal of these cases because Uganda has been our priority country,” she said.
According to the 2023 police crime report, there were 14,681 cases of domestic violence recorded, sex-related violence (14,846), and child-related offenses (10,741).
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