ICC Uganda team to visit victims’ communities in the north for an event aimed to keep alive conversations about sexual and gender-based crimes.
Eighty women, coming from organisations mostly based in Gulu, accepted the ICC team’s invitation to participate in a dialogue focusing on gender equality and the role of women in Ugandan society. This year’s event takes place in Gulu, under the theme: "Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow". The ICC’s gender outreach programme started in 2008.
“We wanted to specifically reach persons affected by sexual and gender-related violence allegedly committed on a massive scale during the conflict in Northern Uganda”, recalls Maria from the Court’s country office. Lack of education and other socio-cultural factors meant many people had little access to beneficial information about the work of the Court, particularly relevant to direct victims of rape, sexual slavery, abduction and torture.
“We wanted to involve them. Many were affected by crimes tried before the ICC and we wanted to create a safe space for them, to feel free to talk about what had happened. As a result, they encouraged one another not to feel ashamed to speak up about their experiences and to demand justice”, Maria says.
