Women activists have raised concern that the government's Covid-19 relief cash could lead to more violence against women as couples fight over the Shs 100,000 mobile money.
Today Thursday, government started disbursing Shs 100,000 each to at least 520,000 in 41 municipalities and 10 cities to help them go through the 42-day lockdown recently announced to stop the spread of the second wave of Covid-19.
Patricia Munabi Babiiha, the executive director Forum for Women and Democracy (FOWODE) said that their research in the past has shown that women are at the mercy of men when it comes to household incomes.
Speaking about a report dubbed, Budgeting for Peace, Munabi says there is an overriding challenge on whose mobile phone number the money be sent. She says that many families have women or children who are the breadwinners hence should be the ones to get the money.
"In our past work on economic empowerment, we have seen and even an assessment we did in the women's entrepreneurship program, we found that many times, the women get money but the men take it away. This is a big issue because we know that most of the times women are the caregivers in the home. So what happens when the Shs 100,000 is sent to my phone, me who looks after the family and who puts food on the table. So we're just hoping that this will not result in increased domestic violence," said Munabi.
Munabi however welcomed the decision to use local governments to identify beneficiaries. She said this if handled carefully, will help in identifying the most appropriate people to whom the money should be given. Efforts to speak to Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the minister in charge of Communication and National Guidance were futile as his known telephone number was unavailable by press time.
According to the FOWODE report, the country spends billions of shillings as a result of violence against women and girls. In a pilot study in the two districts of Sheema and Kabale, it was noted that the government would be saving billions of shillings if it invested more in stopping violence against women and girls.
"This study has revealed that the costs arising from violence against women and girls born by individuals, children, and households in the Buhara and Kamuganguzi sub-counties in Kabale district total Shs 94.73 billion while in Kyangyenyi and Rugarama sub-counties in Sheema district, the costs amount to Shs 72.2 billion, these costs are very high and must be a major contribution to the high poverty levels in the respective communities," the report notes.
It adds that the violence also has multiple immediate to long-term physical, sexual, financial, and psychological impacts, which hinder agricultural production, income generation, learning, school completion, future employment, and income-earning opportunities.
Munabi wants the government to invest more money in the prevention of violence against women and girls and no to leave the task to donors and non-governmental organizations.
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