Gender-based violence fuels mental health crisis among women
As Uganda joins the rest of the world to celebrate international womens day under the interrelation theme Accelerate Action, focusing on the need to Accelerate Action emphasizes the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. Despite the efforts to promote gender equality women are still facing gender based violence.
Gender-based violence/Domestic violence, a pervasive and often hidden crisis, extends far beyond physical harm. While the visible scars of abuse are undeniable, the invisible wounds inflicted on the mental well-being of women are equally devastating. This report delves into the alarming link between GBV and the rising prevalence of mental illness, exploring the profound and long-lasting effects on survivors.
The National Development Plan III (NDP III) aims to reduce GBV prevalence by 30% come 2025. However it seems to be increasing everyday.
According to the Uganda National Development Plan III (NDPIII), the focus on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is primarily aimed at prevention through addressing root causes like gender inequality, unequal power dynamics, and harmful social norms, with a strategy to implement community-based interventions, awareness campaigns, and capacity building programs to empower women and engage men in prevention efforts; all while ensuring access to quality response services for survivors of GBV
Dominic Mukiza, the senior probation and welfare officer for Ibanda district, stresses that domestic violence is increasing every month, with at least four cases reported weekly to the probation office.
He explained forms of violence commonly reported to his office and their causes, such as physical violence, sexual violence, economic violence, and psychological abuse. “Sexual Violence is triggered by phones that cause bias, suspicion, and trust issues, and also common in HIV discordant couples where one no longer wants to sleep with another, and also women who have monetized sex by giving husbands conditions like ‘you do not deserve sex because you have not fulfilled this,’” says Mukiza.
He says that economic violence has persisted because men think they should dominate and own everything, while women also have known their rights to own things in a home. “Some men still treat women as slaves whereby they work together, and men have permission to sell and keep money,” he adds.
Causes of domestic violence
Mukiza attributes rampant domestic violence to some cultural norms and gender biases. “Some people still believe that beating a woman is a sign of masculinity, and others think that a woman should be kept under fear to respect a man and stay in marriage,” and not forgetting “people who have commercialized marriage to accumulate wealth, especially women, children who need properties forcefully from parents, adamant couples, drug abuse and alcoholism, and poverty.”
He adds that adultery has also triggered psychological abuse, where partners mistreat each other by exposing their side love. “Some women come crying with recordings shared by husbands praising how other women are better than them, and also women tell their husbands they are not men enough.”
He says that most cases are reported by women; men rarely report gender-based violence, seeing it as funny and thinking they will be mocked.
He, therefore, asked people to protect their families to avoid violence, work hard as a family towards development, be God-fearing, and have love for their families, and seek counseling and guidance from parents and religious leaders.
What the victims say.
Beth Arinaitwe, a middle-aged woman from Ibanda municipality, Ibanda district, shares her domestic violence experience. She got married in 2001, produced a firstborn who died, and stayed for six years and conceived again and produced a daughter, but still had no peace. “For 21 years in marriage, I never slept in bed peacefully; he could return home drunk, beat me, and cast me out of the house,” she narrates.
With her body full of scars, Arinaitwe explains how she was severely beaten severally. “He could beat me with anything—sticks, kicks, pangas, and bites; most of the time, my body was full of wounds.”
This situation traumatized her, and she started facing mental health problems and other stress diseases such as blood pressure and stomach ulcers. “I was stressed to the extent I thought of committing suicide, but I thought of leaving my baby behind. I suffered domestic violence, developed mental illness, ulcers, and pressure. I lost my weight; the whole body was full of wounds; he could beat and bite me,” she explains in sorrow.
She then decided to leave her daughter behind and run to TUMUKA health epic center for rehabilitation after hearing their radio advert, and since then, it has helped her to overcome stress, and she chose to remain there because she has nowhere to go.
Her work now is to cook for other mental patients and sometimes goes out with the team and gives testimony and encourages other people going through such violence.
Olivia Natuhwera, an 18-year-old girl, narrates how she nearly committed suicide due to domestic violence pressure.
“We grew up in a family full of domestic violence; my father neglected me, and my mother gave me to my grandparents, but our grandfather was violent, could let us sleep outside, deny us food sometimes,” she says.
“The situation was very stressing; I thought of my father who neglected me, and I thought of committing suicide; I bought poison, and it was accidentally poured down, then I thought of going out for house help work; it’s when I knew TUMUKA where I went for rehabilitation and made it my home.”
The expert
Innocent Mujuni, a psychiatric tutor at Kagongo Nursing school Ibanda and the director of TUMUKA health Epicentre, explains how domestic violence fuels mental illness, “Domestic violence isn’t just about physical wounds; it’s a relentless assault on the mind. The constant fear, manipulation, and isolation erode a victim’s sense of self, fueling a devastating cycle of trauma that leads to anxiety, depression, PTSD, and a host of other mental illnesses. It’s a hidden epidemic where the scars are invisible, but the suffering is profound.”
Ibanda district probation office recorded 34 domestic violence cases, 41 child negligence cases, and 7 cases of divorce and separation in the third quarter of 2024. According to Mukiza, these are only cases reported to his office; others are reported to police, and most cases are not reported anywhere.
According to Ibanda police station, Ibanda district recorded 255 domestic violence cases. Out of these, 99 were counseled and guided, 20 referred to probation and LCs, 60 to the Resident State Attorney, 49 sanctioned, 26 to court, 7 convicted, and 28 still pending in court in the year 2024, ending on 31 December.
The International Women’s Day 2025 theme is “Accelerated action.” Focusing on the need to “Accelerate Action” emphasizes the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres.
Ugandan national women’s day celebration 2025 is to be hosted in Kyankwanzi district on Saturday 08th March.
