Participants at the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) workshop in Gulu
The Executive Director of the Judicial Training Institute, Hon. Lady Justice Damalie N. Lwanga, has cautioned Judicial Officers against delays when handling Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) cases.
She said expediting SGBV trials was in line with the 2011 Kampala Declaration which called for fast-tracking of such cases.
Hon. Lady Justice Lwanga made the call on Thursday February 24, 2022 while addressing across-section of Judicial Officers from courts in the Northern and West Nile regions during two days training on SGBV at Bomah Hotel in Gulu City.
Hon. Lady Justice Lwanga stressed the importance of training on SGBV, which is a subject of great concern in Uganda given its prevalence and effects on victims, the majority of whom are women and children.
She urged all criminal justice actors involved in handling SGBV cases to attend such trainings for continuous skilling as new experiences and practices keep coming up.
Hon. Lady Justice Lwanga made presentations on Understanding Gender and its Key Concepts; Gender and power and Handling Victims and Witnesses of SGBV cases in court.
During her presentations, the JTI ED urged the Judicial officers to have a positive attitude when handling SGBV cases taking into account the trauma victims go through.
She noted the need for corroboration of evidence of children of tender years for purposes of strengthening the prosecution case in criminal trials of SGBV cases. "Where corroboration exists, it assists the court to come to the right decision," the Judge noted.
The Gulu Resident Judge, Hon. Justice Alex Ajiji Mackay presented a paper on adjudication and sentencing in SGBV cases. He also called for a review of Sentencing Guidelines in respect to SGBV cases.
He thanked the Judiciary administration for funding the training intended to equip judicial officers with skills in handling SGBV cases which will enable them to deliver quality justice, promote access to justice and uphold the rule of law.
The workshop covered other topics such as Human Rights and Legal Frameworks on SGBV, the different forms of SGBV, causes, and effects of SGBV that were presented by Hon. Lady Justice Susan Okalany.
Ms Cissy Namuzimbi, a Coordinator at International Justice Mission, and Ms Samalie Wakooli, an Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions presented on Trauma and Psyco- socio needs of SGBV victims/survivors and Victims/Witnesses' support and protection respectively.
The training was moderated by the Registrar Research and Training, HW Mary Kisakye Kaitesi, and the Deputy Registrar Training, HW Moses Gabriel Angualia
Posted 24th, February 2022
