Access to Natural Resources
SIWONET is working to ensure that single women have better access to and control of,
natural resources such as land, water, forests and minerals to improve the chances of
long-term peace. SIWONET is working to
a) Promote women’s participation in formal and informal decision-making structures
and governance processes related to natural resource management
b) Explore opportunities for empowering women to effectively use, manage, make
decisions on and benefit from natural resources.
c) Providing opportunities to increase Women’s participation in decision-making at
all levels, and to enable them to engage in economic recovery more productively
d) Addressing issues of inequality related to resource access and ownership,
participation in decision-making and benefit-sharing early on in the peacebuilding
process is therefore a critical condition for lasting peace and development.
e) Implementing measures to protect women from resource-related physical
violence and other security risks
f) Removing barriers and creating enabling environment to build women’s capacity
for productive and sustainable use of natural resources
g) Creating partnerships, building networks and increasing cooperation to pursue
women’s empowerment and sustainable natural resource management together
with other actors
Economic Justice
Economic Justice
a) Advancing shared business ownership that broadens worker ownership and
equity, and strengthens Women workers’ voices—with a focus on increasing
racial, gender, and class representation
b) Investing in child and domestic care work enterprise models that better reward,
protect, and recognize the sector’s single women-led workforce
c) Organizing for single Women power to strengthen cross-border unity, voice, and
action
d) Expanding public services spending that prioritizes equitable, high-quality
services that are responsive to needs of single Women
e) Fight grand corruption to increase sanctions and enforcement against the theft of
public resources meant for empowering single Women
f) Reshape taxation to fight inequality so that corporations and the wealthy
contribute their fair share to society
g) promote climate justice by challenging the outsized role and interference of
corporate power in climate policy
Justice and Peace
a) Increase women's access to justice from the local to the national levels
b) Prevent sexual violence and crimes and protect women from such abuses
c) Secure justice for survivors and set up a comprehensive justice and criminal
accountability for sexual crimes
d) Strengthening the capacity of women and young girls in peacebuilding and
development
e) Building relationships for a strong and vibrant civil society that is capable of high-
quality interventions in the community
f) Improving the economic empowerment of women and young girls
g) Promoting peaceful coexistence among citizens
h) Promoting justice and equality among citizens.
Environmental degradation is a consequence of unsustainable business and
consumption patterns. Ecological challenges, natural disasters and unsustainable
natural resource management disproportionately affect Women. Since women
constitute the majority of the poor and are comparatively more dependent on scarce
natural resources, they suffer in particular from these effects and the repercussions of
climate change. Hence, the effects of climate change are not gender neutral.
Greening and gender equality and (equal) economic participation of women can benefit
each other The opportunities the green economy potentially holds for women’s
participation in green growth relate to green production and manufacturing pro-cesses
(eliminating (chemical) inputs and hazardous working conditions), green consumerism
(creating new business opportunities and markets), Micro-, small and medium
enterprises (MSME) development and female entrepreneurship (including new
professions, product development and use of green technology). SIWONET is working
to
a) Accelerate a transition to the green economy where numerous green(er) jobs will
be created for Women
b) Support social dialogue in lobbying and advocacy for policy change to ensure
women’s full economic participation in green growth
c) Identify and address gender-discriminatory areas in national, local and customary
law and procedures
d) Advocate on issues affecting women’s land and property rights, thereby fostering
an enabling environment for women
e) Improve women’s access to information, especially at local level and in rural
communities, e. g. through awareness and educational programmes and
adequate modes of information (e. g. mobile phone services)
f) Build and strengthen member-based organisations and networks and the
inclusion of women in (women’s) entrepreneurial associations, unions and
savings societies
g) Lobby for the representation of women entrepreneurs in green business
networks and decision-making bodies
h) Monitor the gender implications of new policies, regulations and programmes in
the green economy.
SIWONET is working to make sustainable food a reality for all. Through sustainable
food production SIWONET works with farmers, food producers, food consumers, food policy stakeholders accelerate a transition to sustainable food systems. SIWONET collaborates with many actors in the sustainable food system at community and local
government levels, with a steadfast commitment to building thriving local food systems.
The programme aims at achieving three broad objectives
1) To promote Sustainable Agriculture. SIWONET Seeks to sustain farmers,
resources and communities by promoting farming practices and methods that are
profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities.
2) To promote Sustainable Food Procurement. SIWONET supports sourcing of
sustainable products for farming, residential and retail dining operations, concessions, vending, and catering. The choice of where to source quantities of agricultural products creates an opportunity for greater impact in promoting equitable incomes for food
producers and food systems workers, ecological sustainability, and other values
3) To promote Sustainable Food Consumption. SIWONET promote use of food
products that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimizing
the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations
SIWONET is envisions the facilitating of a conducive environment for women to
exercise their basic human rights. SIWONET aims at guaranteeing security for women
human rights defenders" and the "recognition of women as human rights defenders.
SIWONET works closely with community members through its outreach to district,
regional, national and international level and calls on the State to protect women's
human rights, especially to ensure safety and security of women human rights
defenders.
Women human rights defenders investigate, gather information, and report on human
rights violations. Women Human Rights Defenders (hereinafter WHRDs) advocate for
specific women's human rights issues such as: discrimination on the basis of caste,
class, creed, race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, marital status, political belief and
geographical origin, lack of resources, land right, sexual right, and working against
bonded labour. Struggle for freedom, equality, social transformation and justice has
been the agenda of the women's movement in Uganda.
In doing their work, they use common tools such as different advocacy strategies,
mobilization of public opinion to remind the state of its obligations. However, as WHRDs
become vocal about those issues, they are sexually targeted and their family members
are used as a weapon against them to reduce them to silence. Women Human Rights
Defenders are active in advocating against all forms of violence against women, rape,
torture, domestic violence, acid burning, and murder. They are also campaigning for
economic, social, cultural rights such land rights, property rights, right to housing, right
to food, sexual and reproductive rights, rights of women working in the entertainment
sector, rights of the disabled, rights of marginalized groups. Civil and political rights also
form a considerable part of the women's movement in Uganda. Caste based
discrimination, enforced disappearance, extortions, torture, rights of ethnic groups,
rights of sexual minorities, rights to freedom of opinion and expression are issues that
the women human rights movement are struggling to promote and protect. Protection of
the rights of women will be a mere dream without ending all forms of violence against
them.
WHRDs are working to the best of their abilities from defending the rights of the
LGBTIs, indigenous minorities, differently able individuals and groups, to raising issues
of discrimination, lawlessness and patriarchy, so that others can live a just and
meaningful life, free from threats and violence. Some of the specific issues which
hamper the work of WHRDs include: failure to recognize women human rights
defenders as "Human Rights Defenders", persisting culture of impunity, restriction on
defending human rights, absence of support mechanisms, lack of legal protection for
women human rights defenders and persistence of discrimination arising from rigid
caste and class systems including discrimination against single women, women working
in the entertainment sector, lesbian and bisexual defenders, transsexual or third
genders. Journalists have faced regular threats from armed groups and political parties
for filing reports about the WHRDs' activities. Because of the fact that they challenge the
orthodoxy of the society, WHRDs bear a major brunt and have become victims of
murders, domestic violence, kidnapping, threats and character assassinations, among
others.
SIWONET documents cases of violations of women's human rights. It is clear that
Women Human Rights Defenders themselves are usually at risk. They have been the
target of specific threats and harassment in their work, torture, beatings, arbitrary arrest
and detention, death threats, harassment and defamation, as well as restrictions on
their freedoms of movement, expression, association and assembly. Defenders have
been the victims of false accusations and unfair trial and conviction. SIWONET has
been systematically documenting incidents of violence perpetrated against female
defenders. SIWONET has documented cases of violations done to the WHRDs
committed by state and non-state actors. The documented cases of violations of
WHRDs' rights, illustrate the extent of the sufferings of WHRDs due to the lack of
specific protection mechanisms for ensuring their right to defend. There are incidences
of Women Human Rights Defenders being raped, murdered and intimidated for their
work in strengthening a culture of democracy and human rights in the country. It has
impacted upon women's participation in political structures and on their self-esteem and
resulted into increasing trends of violence and abuse against them.
The Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, most notably in its article 12(2), gives the
primary responsibility for developing specific measures for the protection of women
human rights defenders and human rights defenders in general to the state. The
primary role of the state in promoting and protecting human rights has also been
recalled on numerous occasions by the Human Rights Council. Recognizing their role in
and their contribution to peace and democracy and generating equality in all
governance structures, WHRDs need gender-sensitive protection mechanisms. The
Women Human Rights Defenders have expressed the need for specific mechanisms to
advocate for the end of Violence Against Women and create an enabling environment
to exercise their freedom and rights as defenders. Those specific measures would
include: an adequate response from the state on issues of human rights violations,
measures to guarantee the safety of their family members -especially children- and to
provide support mechanisms such as safe houses (for temporary or longer stay), to
provide counseling services on a regular basis and, when needed, to provide relocation
of the defenders. SIWONET is working to
1) To implement measures that recognize and protect the work of WHRDs and
create mechanisms to ensure and protect their right to defend human rights.
2) Develop protection mechanisms for the women defenders working on women
rights from violations perpetrated by state and non-state actors by offering
effective security measures.
3) Address impunity by ensuring accountability for past and present human rights
violations through the establishment of gender-sensitive transitional justice
mechanisms.
4) Ensure a constitutional recognition of the right to defend and special protection
measures for protecting the rights of HRDs especially WHRDs, LGBTIs,
indigenous minorities, differently able individuals, groups and marginalized
defenders, to exercise their right to defend without threats, intimidation or
harassment in line with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
5) Protect Human rights defenders, including independent journalists and women
rights activists by promptly investigating violations against human rights
defenders and complaints of harassment and bring those responsible for such
violations to justice.
6) Working with local governments to include a gender dimension in the planning
and implementation of all programmes and other interventions related to human
rights defenders, including through consultation with the relevant organizations.
7) Document cases of violations against women defenders and those working on
women rights or gender issues and ensure measures to involve women defenders or those working on gender issues in any consultation with human
rights defenders.