Situational Analysis

“Gender-based violence” refers to any act that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm, or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. Gender-based physical and sexual violence is associated with a range of negative health and development consequences, including increased risk of HIV. Women and girls who are raped or sexually coerced do not have the ability to negotiate condom use, and men who are the perpetrators of such violence do not offer to use condoms.

Vaginal lacerations and trauma from sexual violence further increase the risk of acquiring HIV. Violence may also prevent women from accessing appropriate HIV information, being tested, disclosing their status, accessing services for their infants, and accessing treatment, cares, and support. Contributing to this trend are economic, social, and cultural factors that hamper women’s ability to access information, prevention, treatment, care, and support services. Gender norms and inequalities increase vulnerability to HIV and exacerbate the difficulties associated with being infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, for both women and men. In Wakiso district, young women between the ages of 15 and 24 years of age are at least three times more likely to be HIV-positive than young men (Uganda behavioral Survey 2004-2005), suggesting that cross-generational sex is fueling many infections in girls and young women. Young women’s relative lack of power and financial independence increases the risk that they will engage in cross-generational sex, or be unable to negotiate whether they have.

By the end of 2009/10, WIRDA will

1. Have mobilized resources and  created one center per   sub county  in  16  sub counties  to  offer  a supportive community environment where women feel safe seeking help
2. Have identified Developing partners to enhance the capacity of   10 existing institutions— informal and formal (including NGOs)— per sub county  in  16   sub counties  to respond to women who experience Gender violence
3. Have disseminated information to 100,000 vulnerable women and girls in the entire Wakiso districst about existing services through community groups, advertising campaigns, and referral mechanisms (including hotlines where the infrastructure permits).

Planned Activities include

• Training and providing support to providers from Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in gender based prevention, planning, stimulating, and managing community dialogues about the same issue.
• Supporting trained CSO providers to enhance the prevention of GBV among their clients
• Creating youth centers/ club for seeking help
• Providing youth centers with essential material and equipment.
  Selecting and train the youth center worker.
• Monitoring , Support  supervision and Evaluation