Message for International Women’s Day 8th March 2022

Time has come, that we (women) should be judged by our dedication, commitment and devotion and not our genetic make-up.
Our work with the women of Mukono, Mubende and Wakiso in the last year has revealed to us the great potential that women have to transform their societies if supported. From speaking out against human rights violations, mobilizing their communities to write petition letters and struggling to restore their traditional food systems.
Engaging women in analyzing issues that affect their lives as well as their root causes has been the most rewarding experience. FIAN Uganda together with our partners, has actively engaged women from fishing and farming communities to struggle towards communal ownership of natural resources including land, water, seeds and other means of producing food in a sustainable manner.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, ‘Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’. A sustainable tomorrow cannot be achieved if issues that affect women, such as access to food and natural resources are consistently ignored. Supporting women to take lead, to speak against unfairness and to cause transformation should be the standard practice not an exception. A gender balanced society is a better society.

On this IWD too, we celebrate the fact that, after the review of the State of Uganda on 11 February 2022, the CEDAW committee issued its recommendations on 28 February 2022, which are important for the realization of women’s rights.

Issues faced by women due to a forced eviction in the Kaweri coffee plantation case in Mubende District, and violence against fisher folks in Mukono (paragraph 45-46) as well as discriminatory stereotypes and harmful practices such as accusations of witchcraft (paragraph 21). FIAN Uganda is proud to have contributed to this process. Please find the full  report here; recommendations issued by the CEDAW committee

Namaganda Rehema Bavuma
Country Coordinator
FIAN Uganda