BY SAMUEL NABWIISO
Women activists in Uganda are calling up on the Uganda Police to establish fully fledged Directorate of gender in the force.
This they urge will help in investigating case related to gender issues which are becoming rampant in the country.
The Activists under their umbrella group Women’s Protest Working Group told Journalists at the Akina Wamama Africa offices in Ntinda that the current structure in the police force does not adequately priorities women even though 6 in 10 crimes reported to the police are gender based yet the response from police is wanting.
“Police response to these cases especially murder and the everyday violence against women has been woefully and inadequate. As activists we want the gender up graded to a full directorate that is when may be the police will allocate more resources to investigating gender related cases in the country” said Lydia Namubiru the spokesperson for the Working group
She noted that since 2017 Over 40 Women have been murdered, raped but no Justices has been brought , apart from government security agencies blaming the victims or making excuses for their death.
“Police response to these murders by police is challenging for instance in the past, police has made an excuse out of the fact that some of the victims were sex workers with one of their spokesperson suggesting that they were bringing the case to the victims . Although they were sex workers but they deserve the right to live like other human beings” She added.
Dr Stella Nyanzi one of people behind the march said they have met with the Minister for Internal affairs Gen Jeje Odongo who showed interest in their course.
“The Minister was positive and wrote letter to the Inspector General of police informing him about our plan to organize peacefully march in the city. This morning our Lawyers were having closed meetings with the top leadership of the Uganda Police .But even the results from the meeting do not favor the women activists we, shall go ahead with our plan” She said
