Invest in education to fight gender based violence in Uganda -US diplomat

US Ambassador to Uganda, Deborah Malac, has called for proactive action against Gender-based violence in Uganda, a constraint to women’s full participation in development. The ambassador said in Kampala during the celebrations to mark the 243rd independence anniversary of the United States of America.

Gender based violence cases reported in Uganda continue to increase annually not only is gender-based violence and assault on the ideal of equal rights for all, but it is also harming Uganda’s prosperity.

The ambassador said the fight should be done through Education, health and poverty eradication are all key to creating an environment that protects women and children and allows girls to grow safely and achieve their full potential.

“Infrastructure is important for long-term economic growth and development, but it cannot come at the expense of investments in education and health because human capital is equally as important as infrastructure.”

She said the US was investing in a broad range of programs to support women and girls in Uganda.  Most of the funding is dedicated to women’s health, especially maternal and child health, prevention of gender-based violence, and prevention, care, and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

“The women’s suffrage movement transformed American democracy by vastly enlarging the number of people who could vote. As women gained additional rights, the United States became more and more prosperous, and we began to give truth to our country’s founding ideals of equality and liberty. Our tradition of vibrant civic advocacy continues, as American citizens come together to celebrate and protect the rights enshrined in our constitution,” she said.

“We know there is still much more work to achieve full equality for women in the United States, but we have made progress. The current U.S. Congress sworn in this January broke several records.  It has more female representatives than ever before with a total of 127.  We elected our first Muslim American women, our first Native American women, and the youngest woman ever to be elected,” she said

She however noted that they (American women) have to crack the ultimate glass ceiling and put a woman in the White House.

“These recent successes show us the way to reinvigorate a new generation in the fight for women to have a seat at the table and to be heard. Other countries around the world have also made strides in the past 100 years in improving women’s lives and offering greater opportunities, achieving true gender equality for all women remains an elusive goal,” she noted