Single Women Network (SIWONET)

Social stigma and societal discrimination

hermank256 — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 07:20:09 +0000

Social stigma and societal discrimination – Social norms, prejudice and
abusive behaviour that restrict the ability of single women to lead a normal
life, as well as broader discrimination against single women remain highly
prevalent in Uganda. In Uganda, divorced, separated and never married
women remain underrepresented in such collectives and are invisible in
society and public policy in general. There are many causes of single
status, the reasons for breakdown of family support and the specific
vulnerabilities of widowed, divorced, separated and never married women.
SIWONET is working to address stigma and society discrimination

Gender Budgeting

hermank256 — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 15:30:10 +0000

Making resources available for single women is imperative to address
structural disadvantages faced by single women. As much as budgets are
a political tool, they are also a tool for gender justice. Public policies, rather
than being ‘gender neutral’, need to address gender inequalities in a
purposeful and direct manner. Despite the Constitutional guarantee of
equality for women, non-discrimination against single women remains an
unfulfilled promise. Apart from the patriarchal, gender biases in planning
activities, it is critical to assess the outcomes of women-specific schemes
and whether or not they reach women in the desired way and transform
gender roles or if they simply reinforce gender stereotypes by adding to
women’s unpaid and reproductive work. Since women’s labour has become
the backbone of the economy (be it agriculture, informal sector,
construction workers or as migrant workers), it necessitates
institutionalizing the practice of gender budgeting to address women’s
specific vulnerabilities within each ministry and Local Government, rather
than just the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. An
intersectional understanding of multiple disadvantages that single women
face necessitates that laws and allocations are not gender-neutral but
specially focused on women who face crippling socio-cultural, economic
and political discriminations not only because of their gender but also
because of their identity as Muslim, tribal, disabled, transgender women.
SIWONET is working to ensure that implementation of women-related
programmes and laws is gender sensitive. SIWONET is working with local

governments to involve single women in planning in order to effect better
allocation of funds, utilization of resources and robust monitoring
mechanisms (such as gender audits).

Trainings to adress barriers that deny single women access to government programmes and services.

hermank256 — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 15:28:21 +0000

For single women to live a life of greater dignity and not perceive
themselves as an unwanted burden on society, the state requires to rethink
the existing system of fractured and piecemeal programmes implemented
in an unfriendly and haphazard manner. Single women have highlighted
time and again the need for social security to be considered a right of the
vulnerable and discriminated single women. Most single women in the
network describe corrupt,
profiteering and gender discriminating leaders, local authorities and
police/judicial officers as the greatest barriers to accessing basic services
of food, housing, decent work and to filing of divorce papers, or claiming
maintenance. SIWONET is collaborating with Ministries, state institutions,
local governments and other women’s organizations to organize human
rights and gender sensitization trainings for these service providers as well
as state-level officials who are tasked with effective implementation and
delivery.
The aim of the trainings, is to inform and educate individuals about the
specific vulnerabilities that diverse groups of single women face; the
impoverishment brought about the aggravating impact of the multiple
disadvantages they face because of caste, religion, ethnicity, illness,
disability and other circumstances. Through trainings, Service providers
are sensitized to recognize single women as independent head-of
households, to be provided entitlements in their name and legal aid, without
exploitation through bribery or crippling procedural and paperwork hassles.
Furthermore, the trainings encourage the service providers to play a
transparent, accountable and gender sensitive role in the lives of single
women living in marginalized communities.

Legal aid and awareness campaigns

hermank256 — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 15:27:38 +0000

Single women often forgo their share in property and are unwilling to move
court in the case of divorce and maintenance claims. While on one hand
this is rooted in socio-cultural propriety that discourages them from

asserting their rights; on the other hand, it stems from very low levels of
awareness of formal court/government procedures for accessing
justice/entitlements. SIWONET is provides legal aid to single mothers and
conducts informational and awareness campaigns on laws, legal remedies
and court procedures. SIWONET collaborates other women’s organizations
and with national and state legal aid service providers in training
paralegals for social justice. We work with local governments to legal aid
camps and hold awareness campaigns on the rights of single women and
discrimination against single women.

Promoting Political participation of Single women

hermank256 — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 15:27:02 +0000

Participation in and election to local self-governance bodies, especially
village assemblies has afforded single women the opportunity to represent
village-level concerns as well as women’s issues and emerge as local
leaders for change. An increasing number of organized single women, who
are socially conscious, confident and aware, have been elected to local
village assemblies. Single women have always expressed that their
association with the networks and collectives awakened in them a political
and civic consciousness, which inspired many of them to contest local
elections. In the experience of the SIWONET, Networks of single women
have a great potential to present single women with a platform to
challenge and change existing power relations.
More often than not, women’s active and democratic participation in local
politics stems from their experience in grassroots advocacy. However, for
the state to ensure substantive political participation of women, it would
have to acknowledge an existing hostility to women’s issues and a male
bias in the composition, functioning and normative values in the
administrative institutions. SIWONET is working to actively address the
host of difficult challenges single women face including discrimination,
harassment and lack of women’s participation in decision making
processes.