KAMPALA, Uganda — A new national baseline report by the International Justice Mission (IJM) reveals that Uganda’s criminal justice system is failing to protect women and children from violence, largely due to a critical lack of trust from the public.
The report, launched on Monday, Aug. 11, found that despite a high prevalence of intimate partner violence and sexual violence against children, a staggering 72% of all physical and sexual violence incidents against women go unreported. The primary reasons cited for this were low trust in the criminal justice system, fear of retaliation, stigma, and the normalization of abuse.
The findings are based on an assessment conducted by the independent International Research Consortium from August 2023 to September 2024. The study measured four core protection domains, including the prevalence of violence, the reliance of victims on the criminal justice system, and the confidence of stakeholders in its performance.
Key findings include:
- Intimate Partner Violence: 55% of ever-partnered women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime.
- Sexual Violence Against Children: 58.6% of Ugandan children have experienced sexual abuse, with close relatives and friends often being the perpetrators.
- Low Confidence: Only 6% of stakeholders expressed confidence in the full criminal justice system chain—police, prosecution, and courts—to effectively manage these cases. Furthermore, only 7% believed that justice agencies provided timely services.
- Justice System Performance: While 98% of reviewed cases resulted in an arrest, nearly half of all investigations were later closed or inactive. This was often due to interference, bribery, or informal settlements.
Wamaitha Kimani, IJM Uganda Country Director, stressed that the numbers represent “real life experiences of women and children” and called for urgent, collaborative action to make the justice system more “responsive, trusted and accessible.”
Lillian Acen, President of the Uganda chapter of the Global Survivor Network, echoed these concerns. She highlighted issues such as victims being asked to pay for police forms and delays in case resolution, which she said can be deadly. Acen called for better equipping and training of justice actors in trauma-informed care and for more community dialogues to empower survivors and address the root causes of violence.
The report recommends proactive collaboration among criminal justice agencies, civil society, local councils, and communities to enforce the law and rebuild public trust.
