Ugandan Women should demand equality and fundamental freedoms

By Anselm

March 5, 2018Edited by Admin

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Ugandan women should use March 8th to demand equality and fundamental freedoms.

BY: Anselm Ssebuguzi  

As the world celebrates International Women's Day, I wish to pay tribute to women. Specifically, the women of my village in Wakiso district, to whom I owe. I have learned how to love, how to be strong and how to be selfless because the women around my home instilled this in me. I can confidently tell you that, a life without a woman, would be a life not worth living.  

My just parents educated all their children equally without any gender-based discrimination. Equitable education across genders was a strong belief in our communities at the time. This was furthered by my sister's parental role in our family, ensuring that all the women in our family had equitable access to education. Therefore, I definitely have a reason to celebrate on the 8th of March. Happy Women's Day to the women of my life and Happy Women's Day to all the women around the world!  

I'm sure that there are other families in Uganda who have a lot to celebrate on this day. International Women's Day goes back to the early 1900s, when 15,000 women marched through New York demanding voting rights and better pay. International Women’s Day was officially recognised in 1911, as a day for women to raise up their voices internationally. The aspect of celebration surrounding International Women’s Day may have been brought in by business people which changed the real meaning of the day. Some countries may have a reason to celebrate but the women of my native Uganda do not.  

I find no reason to have a national celebration for women in Uganda. What leaps and bounds do the women of Uganda have to celebrate? Are they celebrating their supposed rights to dignity or equality and fundamental freedoms? Should we gather to celebrate the 121 female members of parliament? Should we celebrate the fact that we have a female speaker of parliament? Should the achievements of a few elite woman demonstrate the success of women's emancipation in Uganda? Why shouldn't women in Uganda use the 8th of March to demand equality and personal protection?  

Unlike the developed world, in Uganda and other developing countries women issues aren't solely voting and equal pay. The biggest challenge to women is the social attitudes and beliefs that confine women to an inferior status. On the 8th of March, instead of celebrating, women should gather to demand a detailed report on the spate of brutal deaths of women in Wakiso district and other areas of Uganda. They should gather to call for the end to gender-based violence. They should put their women representatives in parliament to task and ask for an explanation as to why they have failed to organize themselves and improve the life of the average Ugandan woman.  The women of Uganda should come together to identify and call for the end of all religious and cultural customs and practices that perpetuate violence against them. The women of Uganda should gather to find a solution to pastors who rape vulnerable women and girls. 

Most women in Uganda still believe that it is justifiable to be beaten by their husbands, so the 8th of March should be a day for women leaders to come up and educate those vulnerable women to teach them that they are worthy people who shouldn't be beaten.  

Around all parts of Uganda, women still experience physical and/or sexual violence. In most cases, the government and other organizations only focus on the rights of married women and forget about the more vulnerable. For example, house maids work full-time and are paid between 30,000-50,000 shillings with no job contract, no access to healthcare, no safety, no days off and no holidays. House maids work for 24 hours a day and are not expected to go out to meet friends or have time with a boyfriend. Should house maids really celebrate International Women’s Day?  

International Women’s Day should be a day to let the public know that mentally ill women are real human beings who shouldn't be beaten but deserve respect and protection. Mentally ill women deserve privacy at the hospital just like any other woman. International Women’s Day should be a day to demand equality and fundamental freedoms for the average women not a day to celebrate the achievements of the elite women.