Domestic Abuse Impacts Family
We are humbly requesting your help to assist Florence, an HIV-positive woman who has been kicked out of her home with her four children.
Please read further for more information.
Florence, a resident of Nyakabingo B village, North Division, Fort Portal City, is a wife and mother of four who recently took it upon herself to test for
HIV. Upon sadly receiving a positive test result, Florence approached her husband with the news, hoping that he would test too and the couple could approach ARV treatments together. Unfortunately, she was met with anger which led to a heated argument. Florence’s husband then kicked her and their four children out of their home.
The five are currently living in a small, dilapidated structure kindly offered by their neighbour. While this does make a difference in providing some form of shelter, the structure is completely unstable and leaves the family sopping wet when it rains outside.
Florence is relieved by the fact that her children all tested negative for HIV, but is now faced by the daunting task of raising and caring for them on her own.
“I’m starving with my kids. I do move in the village searching for casual work to earn something small to feed the children. But I am failing to get school feels for these children. I don’t know what our future will be like?”, she said.
Florence mentioned that she does have a piece of land but does not have the funds nor the ability to build them a home.
As such, we are attempting to help Florence in any way possible. Donations of any kind related to housing and shelter, construction, schooling materials etc. would be greatly appreciated, as well as any monetary donations which would be put forth towards the children’s school fees and food for the family.
Between 2012 and 2017, about 5 percent of all sexual violence cases handled in a year by the ODPP have been closed due to lack of evidence, according to a CEDOVIP study.
Overall message:
The Ugandan government needs to do BETTER to protect its WOMEN.
Thank you for taking the time to read Florence’s story, and thank you in advance for all donations that we receive. We appreciate your support.
Please see facts and figures in the following page and feel free to share this information to others that may be willing and able to help.
The PLANE Team
Domestic Violence and HIV: Facts and Figures
Resources:
https://www.hrw.org/legacy/campaigns/women/aids/factsheet.htm
Violence against women is on the increase in Uganda despite the presence of laws and policies to protect victims and survivors.
The Ugandan government is failings it’s women as they are not being adequately protected from domestic violence. As such, enormous amounts of women become infected with HIV and may potentially die due to the virus.
The government of Uganda has failed to criminalize or prosecute violence against women in the home.
The government continues to fail women as violence against women is still rife. Women are not given equal protection of the law and are not given their rights to physical integrity. The women of Uganda should be provided with the highest attainable standard of health.
Women’s unequal property and inheritance rights in Uganda therefore contribute to women’s poverty and place them at a social disadvantage.
Ugandan women infected with HIV are made more vulnerable by being unprotected from property right violations. Oftentimes they are unwillingly and unfairly evicted from their homes and thrown into a life of poverty as they lack the ability to provide secure shelter for their families.
Sadly, many women feel voiceless and forced to remain in undesirable home situations as a means of receiving shelter, food and care for their children.
Between 2012 and 2017, about 5 percent of all sexual violence cases handled in a year by the ODPP have been closed due to lack of evidence, according to a CEDOVIP study.
Overall message:
The Ugandan government needs to do BETTER to protect its WOMEN.
