If you went back in time and asked people what amounted to gender-based violence (GBV), the majority of responses you’d get would revolve around scenarios that involve husbands beating their wives.
The United Nations Refugee Agency defines GBV as any act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and is based on gender norms and unequal power relationships; encompassing threats of violence and coercion.
Taking into account the different variations of GBV, Sister’s Keeper, a Non-Government Organisation has acquired technology that is most reflective of the times we live in for deployment in the war against GBV. The mobile-based application is a one-stop-point for one access to relevant information about GBV.
“The application is also equipped with a feature that is dedicated to emergency response in case of the occurrence of GBV. Users can send a message of distress that will report to their preferred contact person and the Uganda Police Force (UPF) the precise location of the GBV occurrence,” Herman Okia, the Sister’s Keeper Team Leader told Matooke Republic.
The team is also trying to come up with a USSD code to enable even those with no internet access, especially people who live in rural areas to receive an emergency response.
Another feature of the mobile application is connecting survivors of GBV suffering from trauma to counsellors who will help them, free of charge. Victims can seek help either anonymously or in person.
“Where necessary, and with cooperation from the victim, we have a legal aid clinic that can institute criminal proceedings against perpetrators of GBV,” Okia added.
Sister’s Keeper also has a community-approach dubbed “Sister’s Cells” where women in an area can occasionally come together and share their problems and advise each other but more so support each other. This, according to Okia, helps us to create a sense of community ownership with regards to GBV.
According to Human Rights figures, 4,822 incidents were reported from January to October 2018. The Uganda Police Force recorded between 38,651 to 40258 cases in 2016 with and according to UNHCR statistics, at least 22% of women between 15-49 years have experienced some form of gender-based violence.