Entebbe | 5 -7 July 2022: The UN Human Rights Office in Uganda as part of the UN Human Rights and Gender Advisory Group’s (HRGAG) coordinated a joint three-day capacity-building training for members of the Human Rights Committee of the Parliament of Uganda in Entebbe. The training aimed at enhancing the cooperation and interaction between the HRGAG and the Human Rights Committee to ensure effective integration of human rights and gender in all parliamentary business.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Adekemi Ndieli, the Acting Country Representative, UN Women in Uganda, emphasized that the UN agencies in Uganda are committed to strengthening partnerships while ensuring that institutions carry out their respective mandates to protect human rights and ensure gender equality, and also to strengthen the technical capacities of state and non-state actors through human rights training for more effective, accountable and inclusive institutions that are sustainable at all levels.
“Members of Parliament play an important role in the protection and promotion of human rights by ensuring that the legal and policy frameworks meet international human rights standards. They ought to monitor the Government’s compliance with national, regional and international human rights instruments, follow up on reports made to treaty bodies, and ensure the implementation of recommendations made by these bodies.” Ms. Adekemi said.
Her Excellency, Ambassador Eunice Irungu Kigenyi congratulated the Human Rights Committee of Parliament for successfully coordinating the presentation of eight national human rights reports to human rights Treaty Bodies.
“I encourage members of the Committee on Human Rights in Parliament to continuously support the enactment of legislation that strengthens the human rights protection regime in Uganda,” Ambassador Kigenyi concluded.
Hon. Janepher Mbabazi Kyomuhendo, the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Human Rights in Parliament noted that cases of torture, enforced disappearances, illegal detentions, and other gross human rights violations are not due to the absence of a legal framework but rather weak implementation mechanisms and overzealous law enforcement officers.
“On behalf of the committee, I pledged our commitment to support the expeditious enactment of the Witness Protection Bill, the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill and the National Legal Aid Bill when they are tabled in Parliament,”- Hon. Janepher Kyomuhendo.
Dr. Fred Sekindi, human rights officer, UN Human Rights said that integrating human rights into the legislative process requires merging international and constitutional obligations with best practices and changes within society.
“The annual cost of feeding a prison inmate is 2.3 million Uganda shillings. Uganda's prison capacity stands at 19,976 yet the current prison population is at 67,808. There is a need for the adoption of penal reforms to address prison challenges with a human rights lens,” - Dr. Sekindi said.
Ms. Diva Mukisa, Associate Programme Management Officer at the UN Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) pointed out that the prison system faces many challenges including delays in trials, sentencing and overcrowding which require immediate amendments in the legal and policy framework to ensure that prison administration can focus solely on the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners.
“Uganda has a total of 253 prisons with 54% being pre-trial detainees where 4.5% (3,052) are female. Hence Members of the Parliament should advocate for the redesign of prison systems to cater for the special needs of women such as the availability of sanitary pads” Ms. Diva Mukisa said.
Dr. Olive Sentumbwe, the Family Health and Population Advisor at World Health Organization (WHO) said that improving the quality of maternal and new-born healthcare is vital and called upon members of Parliament and leaders at all levels to ensure that adequate supervision and monitoring of maternal, child and adolescent health services is promptly carried out for better health outcomes.
“In 2021, Uganda recorded 31,565 teenage pregnancies per month, meaning 1,052 pregnancies daily. Pregnancy of young girls below 18 years is a crime. It is the responsibility of leaders to hold perpetrators accountable and arrested for defilement,” Dr. Olive emphasized.
Ms. Odette Sarr Bolly, Migration Specialist at International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that the roll-out of the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) in Uganda's recruitment sector would scale up the protection of Ugandan migrant workers.
“Members of Parliament in conjunction with the public need to advocate for the promotion of safe, orderly and regular labour migration from out and within Uganda.” Ms. Odette Sarr noted.
Honourable Fox Odoi, the Chairperson Human Rights Committee of Parliament expressed appreciation to the UN Human Rights Office in Uganda for coordinating with other UN agencies in Uganda for the support towards the capacity needs of Members of Parliament in achieving their mandate as enshrined in the constitution.
The three-day human rights training was attended by 40 participants (17 females and 23 males) from the Human Rights Committee of the Parliament. The UN Human Rights Office looks forward to future engagements with Members of Parliament in efforts to promote, protect and observe human rights in Uganda.