Uganda’s newly appointed Director of Public Prosecutions, Lino Anguzu, has urged stronger partnerships, increased reporting, and collective responsibility in tackling violence against women and girls.
Speaking on Thursday at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), held under the global theme UNITE to End All Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls, Anguzu said the campaign offered an opportunity for the public to better understand the prosecution service’s role in justice.
‘We as an Office are grateful for coming up to partner with us for the public to get an understanding of the work we do,’ he noted, expressing gratitude to the Irish Embassy and International Justice Mission (IJM) for supporting the initiative.
Anguzu emphasized that GBV cannot be addressed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) alone.
‘We understand that in responding to cases of GBV, we cannot handle it alone. we therefore thank all our partners who are here today to show solidarity,’ he said.
Highlighting the ODPP’s constitutional mandate under Article 120, he noted that the institution prosecutes all criminal cases outside the Court Martial and plays a central role in administering justice, maintaining law and order, and promoting human rights in line with Vision 2040 and the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) framework.
Despite legislative progress, Anguzu said sexual and gender-based violence remains widespread. ‘Sexual and Gender Based Violence continues to be on the increase as reflected in the large number of cases handled at the Office of the DPP and those that finally end in court,’ he said.
He added that rape and aggravated defilement dominate High Court sessions, while many spousal murder cases begin as unreported domestic violence incidents.
‘Most of the heinous spousal murder cases that we have handled. started as cases of domestic violence which went on unaddressed,’ he said, warning that ODPP data shows up to 70 percent of criminal cases reported to police and later prosecuted are GBV-related.
Anguzu cautioned that stigma, fear of retaliation, and poor attitudes by justice actors often prevent victims from reporting crimes.
‘Because GBV crimes are associated with shame, trauma and stigmatization, we want to assure the public of our support. Don’t die in silence,’ he appealed.
This year’s campaign highlights digital and online violence, with research showing that 68 percent of children with disabilities and 59 percent of those without have experienced online abuse.
‘Some of these offences include cyber bullying, cyber stalking, child pornography. offences like defilement and rape start online with perpetrators using false accounts,’ Anguzu said, adding: ‘We therefore call upon all members of the public to report all forms of violence to enable us hold the perpetrators accountable.’
According to recent police crime reports, over the past three years there have been more than 10,000 cases of domestic violence, 14,846 cases of sex-related violence, and 10,741 child-related offenses recorded each year.