Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

Survivors/victims of Gender Based Violence (GBV) access quality integrated essential justice services through effective, accountable and gender-responsive Justice Institutions.

Expected results

Outcome 1: Special Service Delivery and Accountability Systems/Special Courts for Gender Based Violence institutionalized, integrated; perpetrators are held accountable in accordance with the law and human rights.

Outcome 2: Increased use of available, accessible, and quality essential justice services by women and girls who experienced violence.

Output 1: Systems, procedures and standards strengthened, integrated and implemented to guarantee quality justice for survivors of GBV and vulnerable women and girls.

Output 2: Capacities of formal justice institutions to deliver quality, coordinated essential services and fast track cases of GBV and other forms of discrimination is strengthened.

Output 3: Women and girls at risk of violence are empowered on their rights, have knowledge of and can access and use quality justice services.

Target group / Beneficiaries

The project in Uganda will directly benefit approximately 30,000 women, children, older persons, refugees, and persons with disabilities and people vulnerable to violence by improving the quality of justice services. The project will also directly benefit 51 Judges, 200 Chief Magistrates, Prosecutors and Resident State Attorneys, 500 Criminal Investigation Officers and Child and Family Protection Officers, 100 Health workers and 150 Administration staff by improving their knowledge and skills in providing specialised justice and referral services for GBV cases through the special court System.The JLOS (Justice Law and Order Sector) Secretariat will coordinate the Project working with state and non-state actors mandated under the National GBV Policy to prevent and respond to GBV cases at national and sub national level. It will be implemented by JLOS institutions.

Activities

Activity 1.1: Undertake a review of systems, procedures and tools to identify and address the root causes of delays, poor investigation, prosecution and adjudication and to guide reforms for institutionalization of a GBV Special Service Delivery and Accountability System (SSDAS) across the JLOS chain;

Activity 1.2: Develop detailed and concrete service delivery standards and procedures;

Activity 1.3: Use recommendations from the strategy for special courts to establish Integrated Service Delivery and Accountability Systems and Regional Centres of Excellence for handling GBV cases;

Activity 1.4: Support implementation of the JLOS sector Gender Strategy;

Activity 1.5: Undertake a cost benefit analysis of the JLOS system to demonstrate to government the eco-nomic trade off of establishing a special service delivery and accountability system / special courts for GBV;

Activity 2.1: Support institutional trainings for JLOS actors from national to subnational Level;

Activity 2.2: Train administrative and frontline staff of the special service delivery system/ special court System;

Activity 2.3: Provide hands on mentorship and supervision for administrative and frontline staff;

Activity 3.1: Support CSOs to conduct civic education and awareness on the special court system, survivor rights in the criminal justice System and legal implications of GBV;

Activity 3.2: Improve community participation and feedback on the justice system;

Activity 3.3:Train non-formal justice actors, including elders, religious, cultural leaders, and Local Councillors.

Context

Gender equality and women’s empowerment is a prerequisite for accelerated socioeconomic transformation and ending Violence Against Women and Girls is critical for the realization of women´s rights in Uganda. Access to justice for women and girls, especially those who have experienced gender-based violence, is upheld in local frameworks such as the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, Vision 2040, the Fourth JLOS Strategic Development Plan and others. At UN level, Access to Justice for survivors of GBV is supported under United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) (2016-2020). The project will complement the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative and the UN Joint Programme on GBV currently implemented in 20 districts.