Calls to increase funding to counter gender-based violence

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Activists have amplified calls for increased funding aimed at ending gender-based violence (GBV) in Uganda — a vice that they say has persisted because of limited funds.

Angela Nakafeero, the gender ministry’s commissioner for women affairs, said government programmes responding to and preventing GBV are only active in only 51 out of the 146 districts in Uganda.

She was speaking at a high-level dialogue on financing GBV prevention interventions on Tuesday (February 25, 2025) at Golden Tulip Hotel in Kampala.

Nakafeero underscored the need to scale up efforts to have all districts covered.

“We need a sustainable financing framework that will help us scale up existing efforts to both prevent and respond to gender-based violence. Our resources are still minimal; hence we are unable to have sufficient funding," she said.

Every shilling counts

While issuing a paper on GBV at the same event, John Apire, a resource officer at the gender ministry, revealed that Uganda loses huge sums of money due to the socio-economic impact of violence against women and girls.

John Paul Apire, an economist addressing participants during the high-level policy dialogue on financing Gender Based Violence at Golden Tulip Hotel on February 25, 2025. (Photo by Nancy Nanyonga)

He said if financing remedies are not devised, the country risks losing more sums, adding that every shilling spent on preventing GBV saves millions in economic losses and human suffering.

Apire said by investing in GBV prevention and response, Uganda be investing in its own economic growth.

“Victims of gender-based violence cannot work efficiently. They also spend money on treatment, so that way, the country loses a lot of money, which has slowed its economic growth."

'We have money'

Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) executive director Julius Mukunda disagreed with the ministry’s push for enhanced financing alternatives.

He argued that Uganda has enough resources, and only need to place rightly its priorities.

Julius Mukunda Executive Director Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) addressing as Emmanuel Kashaija Programme Manager Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) looks on. (Photo by Nancy Nanyonga)

“We have money as a country; we should only need to put right our priorities. We should look at domestically generated solutions,” said Mukunda.

The 2022 Uganda demographic and health survey report indicates that more than 56 percent of ever-married women have experienced spousal violence, and 22 percent have suffered sexual violence.

Relatedly, according to 2024 police crime survey, a total of 23,457 cases of gender-based violence were registered, of which 5,464 were submitted to courts for trial, 8,863 were sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), whereas 1,814 were convicted. 

The same report also indicates that 137 cases were acquitted while 720 were dismissed.

Despite various commitments made by the Government, including the 2016 National Policy of Elimination of gender violence, the National Development Plan (NDPIII), and Vision 2040, the financing gap remains a major bottleneck in addressing the challenge effectively in the country.