Uganda: Information on state protection offered to female victims of domestic violence
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | UGA28733.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Uganda: Information on state protection offered to female victims of domestic violence, 1 February 1998, UGA28733.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aca573.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 1996.1997, apart from the general law against assault, no laws were passed to protect "battered women" because public opinion and law enforcement authorities consider wife beating as a man's prerogative (Internet 11 Feb. 1998). According to a 17 January 1997 Xinhua News Agency report, a women's pressure group organized a peaceful march in Kampala to protest against "a recent wave of demostic violence in Uganda." According to a June 1997 The Women's Watch article, a domestic relations Bill was expected to be approved in 1997 (6). However, The Women's Watch notes that the current bill "does not specifically cover domestic violence or marital rape" as crimes (ibid.)
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 1996. 1997. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office [Internet, 11 Feb. 1998].
The Women's Watch [Minnesota]. June 1997. Vol. 11, No. 1. "Marriage and Family Law, Convention Articles 15 and 16."
Xinhua News Agency. 17 January 1997. "Ugandan Women Protest Violence." (NEXIS)
