According to the Women’s Protest Working Group, since 2015, over 42 women have been killed. As a result, Ugandan Women are protesting against the prevalent violence against them. A march was held last week, and lots of women showed up and made their voices heard.
Reuters reports that the bodies of more than 20 women have been dumped on roadsides in Uganda’s capital of Kampala since last year.
Solid statistics are hard to come by because an annual crime report has not been released since 2013. Many believe that the police forces are trying to conceal how bad the problem has become for women in the country.
And so I March. To remember them, they were not given any justice and no one was held accountable for their gruesome deaths. But I recognize them. I think about them, the families and friends they left behind with no closure, but fear and anger. #WomensMarchUG
The #WomenMarchUG is on and yes the women are chatting…we want protection . #WomenLivesMatterUG pic.twitter.com/wfpbas4jru
— Tel (@HiRolla1) June 30, 2018
Protesters wore black T-shirts and carried posters bearing the names and ages of women who had been raped and murdered in cases that remain unsolved.
“I want this march to raise awareness about what’s going on,” Stephanie Rivoal, French ambassador to Uganda, told reporters at the march.
“When women are killed sometimes they don’t attract the same attention as when men are killed. I am here to make a statement that women’s lives matter in the same way as men’s lives
In a particularly high profile case, Susan Magara, a daughter of a wealthy businessman, was kidnapped in February in Kampala. Her body was found two weeks later, even after the kidnappers had been paid a ransom, according to local media.
Men ae also lending their voices to the movement. As one male Twitter user says: “Text me when you get home means more now than it did yesterday.”
I march because
["TEXT ME WHEN YOU GET HOME"]means more now, than it did yesterday.#WomensLivesMatterUG#WomensMarchUG pic.twitter.com/GSOfHeFtdP— So Severe 🇺🇬 (@severelyours) June 30, 2018
Photo Credit:Reuters
