In Uganda, One Teen Tackles the Stigma of Violence Against Women

By Irene Mirembe, Knowledge management manager, IntraHealth International.September 06, 2019Regina Nadim is an 18-year-old survivor of gender-based violence (GBV) who now uses her story to encourage other girls to seek support in Uganda’s Moroto District.As a young girl in rural Karamoja, Regina never went to school and had no social or economic support.“My parents could not afford school fees,’’ Regina says. " They only saw me as a source of labor and a dowry. There was no one to help me and it was difficult to find odd jobs. "Regina’s story is typical for a Karamojong girl from a resource-constrained community. Girls are groomed to do house chores and are a source of manual labor on farmlands. This leaves them vulnerable to abuse—such as courtship rape—that exposes them to HIV.Regina was abused by young men during courtship (edonga) on several occasions. Ashamed and with no one to share her pain, she chose to keep quiet about her traumatic experiences and their consequences.“In hopes of finding a suitable partner I was exposed to abuse, " Regina says.“I felt humiliated and worried I could be infected with HIV.”In Uganda, statistics from the2016 Demographic Health Survey show 51% of women and 52% of men have experienced physical violence. And 22% of women and 8% of men have experienced sexual violence. According to theWorld Health Organization, one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or ab...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Family Planning & Reproductive Health HIV AIDS Community Engagement Gender Equality Youth Community Health Workers Source Type: news