A CORPORATE VISIT AT THE KABALE CENTRAL POLICE STATION AS PART OF LOSCO’s PARTNERSHIP RESPONSIBILITY

As LOSCO reached out to the frontline defenders; the Uganda Police Force at Kabale Police Station, following up the recent workshop conducted in partnership with HRCU, Some IEC materials with Human Rights Messages together with Personal protective equipment (PPE) were shared with the Regional Police Commander SSP Saiga Ibrahim, Regional PRO Elly Maate, The Kabale District Police Commander Ruganza Abel and OC Station Akanyijuka together with other Officers on Duty. This was in a bid to support in protecting them from COVID-19 infections since they receive different clients with in their premises.

In our Discussions, we realised that partnership and collaboration with State Agencies and Actors in different aspects of Human Rights will play a major role in ensuring that Human Rights in Kigezi Sub Region are Promoted, Protected, and Fulfilled. This would be realised through consistent engagements, trainings and other avenues where messages are shared on the role of Duty bearers and Rights Holders in a sense of promoting development.

LOSCO will continue to engage the relevant stakeholders including the Education and Academic Institutions in the fight against Human Rights Violations and Abuses. Partnership and collaboration with our different stakeholders will go a long way to ensure this is rightfully achieved.

 

SRHR MUCH A PART OF CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMMING

 

LOSCO and YADNET UGANDA was honoured to have a partnership meeting with the Margaret Pyke Trust, a UK-Based charity. The meeting happened in Kabale town at Cephas Inn.

The meeting was geared towards scaling up and building capacity of stakeholders at sub national and national levels on integrating SRHR and Climate Change in the policies and programs.

Notably, SRHR and Environment partners from Kigezi region were identified to kick start the regional integration agenda and these include; International Crane Foundation (ICF), Uplift Rural Poor, Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU), Local Sustainable Community Organization (LOSCO) and Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH).

At national level, the partnership will build capacity Youth and Civil Society to integrate SRHR and Climate Change in their programs through the YOUTH AND CIVIL SOCIETY ACADEMY and influencing Climate Change policy environment starting with COP27 processes and influencing national policies such as National Climate Change policy, National Environment Policy and National Determined Contributions (NDCs) working closely with Climate Action Network Uganda, Ministry of Water and Environment, National Environment Management Authority, Ministry of Health, Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change and SRHR Alliance partners.

At local levels in Kigezi sub region, local SRHR and Climate Change champions will be empowered to implement integrated approaches and influencing through media and duty bearers engagements.

As stakeholders, you are invited to participate in this capacity building and policy advocacy agenda to strengthen your capacity in integrating SRHR and Climate Change in your programs and projects.

YADNET Uganda looks forward to working with you to influence the SRHR and Climate Change processes especially towards and after the COP27(Climate Change conference) in Egypt in November 2022.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SCALE UP THE SRHR INFORMATION

1)       Build capacity of the Decision Makers for integrating the policy.

2)       Periodic engagements with stakeholders – Parliamentary Forum/ Committee on Climate change, NEMA, Min. of Health, and Ministry of Water to take this forward.

3)       Work with allies – Climate Action Network…

4)       Media Engagements – communicating best practices, legislators listen more from beneficiaries, radio talk shows, Community Engagements, webinars, social media,

5)       Cultural and Religious Leaders – Empowerments, Capacity Building, Review Meetings

6)       Working with Private Partners like UPMG, SRHU, JMS.

 

 

 

ARE DEMONSTRATIONS THE BEST WAY TO GET RESULTS IN UGANDA?

Dialogue is another means that has not been effective

From the Human Rights Perspective under UDHR 1948 The Principles of HR are:

·         Universality

·         Interdependence

·         Inalienable

·         Equality

and the state parties have a duty to protect, promote and fulfill Human Rights.

The Constitution of Uganda 1995 as Amended clearly provides for:

National Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.

V. Fundamental and other human rights and freedoms.

(i) The State shall guarantee and respect institutions which are charged by the State with responsibility for protecting and promoting human rights by providing them with adequate resources to function effectively.

 X. Role of the people in development.

The State shall take all necessary steps to involve the people in the formulation and implementation of development plans and programmes which affect them

 XIV. General social and economic objectives.

The State shall endeavour to fulfill the fundamental rights of all Ugandans to social justice and economic development and shall, in particular, ensure that—

(a) all developmental efforts are directed at ensuring the maximum social and cultural well-being of the people; and

(b) all Ugandans enjoy rights and opportunities and access to education, health services, clean and safe water, work, decent shelter, adequate clothing, food security and pension and retirement benefits.

 Chapter One

Article 1. Sovereignty of the people.

(1) All power belongs to the people who shall exercise their sovereignty in accordance with this Constitution.

(2) Without limiting the effect of clause (1) of this article, all authority in the State emanates from the people of Uganda; and the people shall be governed through their will and consent.

 Chapter Four

Protection and promotion of fundamental and other human rights and freedoms.

General.

Article 20. Fundamental and other human rights and freedoms.

(1) Fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual are inherent and not granted by the State.

(2) The rights and freedoms of the individual and groups enshrined in this Chapter shall be respected, upheld and promoted by all organs and agencies of Government and by all persons.

Article 21. Equality and freedom from discrimination.

(1) All persons are equal before and under the law in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life and in every other respect and shall enjoy equal protection of the law.

(2) Without prejudice to clause (1) of this article, a person shall not be discriminated against on the ground of sex, race, colour, ethnic origin, tribe, birth, creed or religion, social or economic standing, political opinion

or disability

Article 29. Protection of freedom of conscience, expression, movement, religion, assembly and association.

(1) Every person shall have the right to—

(a) freedom of speech and expression which shall include freedom of the press and other media;

(d) freedom to assemble and to demonstrate together with others peacefully and unarmed and to petition; and

(e) freedom of association which shall include the freedom to form and join associations or unions, including trade unions and political and other civic organisation

38. Civic rights and activities.

(2) Every Ugandan has a right to participate in peaceful activities to influence the policies of government through civic organisations.

40. Economic rights.

(1) Parliament shall enact laws—

(a) to provide for the right of persons to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions;

(b) to ensure equal payment for equal work without discrimination;

(3) Every worker has a right—

(a) to form or join a trade union of his or her choice for the promotion and protection of his or her economic and social interests;

(b) to collective bargaining and representation; and

(c) to withdraw his or her labour according to law.

Based on the provisions of the Law, the Teachers have all the mandate to demand from their government Equality and Non Discriminations much as Politics play into wrong decisions because of unrealistic promises because trends show there are more promises and expectation before elections and Demonstrations and arrests after Elections.

In Uganda over 260,000 can earn UGX 740,000 from the planned UGX 193bn 525 Mps want for their allowance increase. MPs have had salary enhancements every year not including the bonuses. If all are civil servants, then they should be considered the same way.

Government should do everything equally... Advisors need to advise the president on equality

Recommendations

1)       The Parliament of Uganda and Public Service should Institute a Salary Review and Regulation Committee/ Authority to look into all Public servants payments.

2)       The Ministry of Education (Duty bearers) ought to look at the effects of such not forgetting what COVID-19 did to our children and education system and other systems

3)       The Ministry of Education should ensure Equal pay for Unity and progressive increment according to plans. Ministry of Finance should allocate resources to all government Schools to stock laboratories and other requirements as well as assess the whole value chain not leaving any one behind. Efficiency is realized when there is free will.

4)       The Government of Uganda should avoid over borrowing to finance recurrent expenditures like salaries

 

 

...

 

RADIO TALK SHOW ON THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN KIGEZI SUB REGION

 

Human Rights are NATURAL ENTITLEMENTS which accrue/belong to EVERYONE by virtue/reason of being HUMAN

A human being is a man, woman, child [or creature] of the species Homo sapiens, distinguished from other animals by superior mental development, power of articulate speech, and upright stance. Every time we think about human rights, we ought to think about where we can easily find them…

 

Looking at the Generations of Human Rights, FIRST GENERATION include Civil and Political Rights meant to Check excesses of the State for instance; Right to:

Vote

Personal liberty

Self determination

Freedom of association

Freedom of Expression

Participate in the affairs of one’s government

Focus areas that LOSCO in partnership with other Human Rights Organisations and Agencies are among others including; Capacity building, Research and documentation, Advocacy and networking, Legal aid and Human Rights Education.

The key aspects of the human rights context in Uganda today are among others;

1.       Fragile/dynamic

2.       Cases of human rights violations e.g. torture, unlawful arrests, impunity, SGBV and these continue to escalate during the times of Political heat and also in the context of COVID-19

About the region-specific context, the human rights situation in Kigezi sub region; they don’t differ much from the National context of Fragility and also the Cases of human rights violations e.g. torture, unlawful arrests, impunity, SGBV continue to increase. The cases of Women torturing men in silence and rampant murders are a clear manifestation of the increased lack of control at Household level.

Human rights defenders are doing quite so much work but violations continue to be witnessed because of the challenges that human rights defenders encounter in the course of their work in Kigezi sub region which include;

1.       Delayed justice

2.       Financial constraints

3.       Ignorance of some human rights defenders (State and non-state) and community members regarding concepts and underlying principles

4.       Wide scope of work and high expectations from beneficiaries

5.       Political interference

However, at the moment LOSCO with other human rights defenders are undertaking some steps in an effort to address the challenges and continue promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms which among others are;

·         Dialogue meetings between human rights defenders in civil society and those in State institutions to discuss emerging issues

·         Networking and collaboration amongst human rights defenders to address human rights issues

·         Community dialogues and engagements and Radio Talkshows

·         Capacity building and knowledge enhancement sessions/workshops

·         Advocacy initiatives such as radio talk shows and social media campaigns

·         Provision of legal aid and referral services

·         Fundraising initiatives

There are identified opportunities and suggested recommendations available for LOSCO and human rights defenders in Uganda as they continue with their work.

·         Taking advantage of growing Information Technology

·         Continued engagement and collaboration where there is political will

·         Enhancing research and evidence based reporting and follow up of cases of human rights abuses and violations

·         Resource mobilization for sustainability/continuity

In case of issues with Human Rights Defenders, one go and report cases of violation of their rights or when their security and safety is threatened.

·         Uganda Police Force (know the hierarchy of offices)

·         Uganda Human Rights Commission

·         Community and local leadership e.g. LC1 Chairpersons

·         Civil Society e.g. National level, Regional level and Grass-root level

RESILIENCE – WHAT IT IS TO HRDs

An ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. The ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened:

To understand community resiliency, we need to understand what the capacity of the community is to respond or to proactively address their own issues. We define Community Capacity in four ways:

• Does the community have strong Decision-making mechanisms in place?
• Are they able to share knowledge and have strong Organizational Learning methods?
• Do they have Legal Structure that they would need to act in their domain?
• Do they have the Financial Resources that are required in order to take action?

 

It also means that they need to think about the flow of resources (people, money, food, energy, water, etc.) through their community over time. Community engagement needs to give people the tools to shape both the visible and the invisible.

How can we help a community raise their capacity so they can get to this larger scale and deploy what is often a more effective strategy for community development?

How do economic shocks and financial resilience shape civic engagement, especially for the economically insecure?

Finally, if economic shocks decrease civic engagement but resilience factors protect against such decreases, what can increase households’ resilience to future financial crises?

This looks at government relief programs, unemployment benefits, job protections, and household savings as sources of resilience. Their connection to positive civic engagement can serve as a springboard for broader discussion of what kinds of protective programs and policies are effective and along what metrics.

In times of crisis, structures at the household, workforce, and policy levels can promote resilience and buffer against negative impacts of an economic shock. Resilience at the household level comes from factors such as the size of one’s liquid assets or savings, access to credit, and social networks that have an ability to provide support during hard times. For people with less resilience, economic shocks are more likely to have severe consequences. For example, where government policy offers limited insulation from economic shocks, households turn to debt to weather financial shortfalls.

NOTE:

• Civic action will be lower for people who experience large economic shocks, compared to similar people who do not experience a large shock.
• In the presence of higher economic resilience, large economic shocks will not correlate with lower civic action.

RESILIENCE IN HR WORK USING HRBA

Using the HRBA that Emphasizes Participation, Accountability, Non-Discrimination, Empowerment and Link to Human Rights (PANEL)

Applying the three pillars of Participatory Approach;

-          Starting with the participants’ experience

-          Critically analysing and reflecting on the experiences

-          Develop strategies for Action

Hold a Discussion in Groups of Eight to reflect on Resilience in HR Work.

 

This approach enables people from different backgrounds, cultures, values and beliefs to learn effectively together and learn from each other. It encourages social analysis aimed towards empowering participants to develop concrete actions for social change that are in accordance with Human Rights Values and standards. We aim at building the HRDs capacity by Building Knowledge, skills and attitudes.

 

 CIVIC ENGAGEMENT THE MOST APPROPRIATE MEANS OF ATTAINING CHANGE

Civic engagement or civic participation is any individual or group activity addressing issues of public concern. Civic engagement includes communities working together or individuals working alone in both political and non-political actions to protect public values or make a change in a community.

"Contributing to society and supporting our own well-being are two sides of the same coin -- by being engaged and contributing we bolster our well-being and become more resilient”.

Civic engagement involves “working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.”

Civic engagement includes both paid and unpaid forms of political activism, environmentalism, and community and national service. Volunteering, national service, and Human Rights Education are all forms of civic engagement.

Participation in civic engagement activities can help citizens become better informed about current events.

HRBA creates channels for the participation of a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including, poor and disadvantaged people, minorities, indigenous peoples, women, children and youth. HRBA promotes active, meaningful and continuous voluntary participation; it stresses that developing capacities for participation is an important result in itself.

Definition and Constructs

Civic engagement is defined as working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community. It also involves developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference. These activities enrich the lives of citizens and are socially beneficial to the community. We take a look at the four constructs

 

FOUR CONSTRUCTS OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

FOUR CONSTRUCTS OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Civic Engagement Working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community	Civic Action Civic Commitment or Duty Civic Skills Social Cohesion
Civic Action; or participation in activities such as volunteering or service learning to help better the community Civic Commitment; or Duty, or the willingness to make positive contributions to society Civic skills; or the ability to be involved in civil society, politics and Democracy Social Cohesion ; or a sense of reciprocity, trust and bonding to others.

 It’s found out that “among HRDs, volunteering plays a valuable role in shaping how they learn to interact with their community and develop the skills, values, and sense of empowerment necessary to become active citizens.”

Another possible form of civic action and civic commitment and duty is Human Rights Education. Research shows that HRE and civic engagement can be related but are not the same thing. HRE does not have to include a civic dimension and not all forms of civic engagement are HR based.

"As people face more and more Human Rights challenges, in terms of environmental, economic and social factors like Poverty, GBV and climate change, as well as mental health issues, the potential for simple programmes like community empowerment, inclusivity to improve resilience is really exciting through participatory approach.”

Our communities are stronger when everyone has the opportunity to contribute. Just and resilient states rely on empowered communities—we believe that participatory design is key to that process. Our work as HRDs can help a community establish relationships through coordination, gain knowledge, and be better prepared to face dynamic Human Rights challenges.

We believe that engaging communities in design thinking is an important way to create successful interventions from planning and design through implementation. The community’s input shaped a neighborhood identity that they could proudly integrate into development projects with greater autonomy and cohesion. This is attained through Participatory Approach.

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

Highlights Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The notion of violation applied vigorously to civil and political rights is often not used regarding economic, social and cultural rights. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has developed the concept of 'minimum core obligations'. The Committee developed this concept mainly to refute the argument that lack of resources hinders fulfillment of obligations. The Committee has stated that every State has a minimum core obligation to satisfy minimum essential levels of each of the rights of the Covenant. The Committee has clarified that a State party 'in which any significant number of individuals is deprived of essential foodstuffs, of essential primary health care, of basic shelter and housing, or of the most basic forms of education is prima facie, failing to discharge its obligations under the Covenant'.

Thus, it can be construed that failure to fulfill minimum core obligations will be a violation of the rights enshrined in the Covenant. However, the notion of violation of economic, social and cultural rights need to be further developed. A group of distinguished experts in international law has developed principles known as the Limburg Principles. These principles provide a basic framework through which the notion of violations of economic, social and cultural rights can be developed. According to the Limburg Principles, ‘a failure by a State party to comply with an obligation contained in the Covenant is, under international law, a violation of the Covenant.’

Provisions

Articles 2(2) and 3: Non-discrimination

Article 2 (2) and Article 3 deal with the non-discrimination aspect. Article 2 (2) is similar to other instruments in stating that the rights should be enjoyed without discrimination on the grounds of 'race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.'

The Committee’s General Comment No.20 underlines that, in order for States parties to “guarantee” that the Covenant rights will be exercised without discrimination of any kind, discrimination must be eliminated both formally (ensure that the State’s Constitution and laws do not discriminate) and substantively (elimination of de facto discrimination in practice). States parties must make particular efforts in eliminating systemic discrimination and discrimination in the private sphere (families, workplaces).

Article 3, on the other hand, is more specific. It provides for the 'equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of rights…set forth in the Covenant.'

The concept of 'progressive realization' is not applicable to the non-discrimination clause and the obligation to ensure equal rights of men and women. The obligation is to ensure it immediately and not progressively.

The obligation to ensure the equal rights of men and women includes affirmative action to eliminate conditions that contribute to discrimination.

Gender Equality as a Human Right

This refers to the equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of Women, and men, girls and boys and of gender-diverse people. They all enjoy the same status and have equal opportunity to realise their full human rights and potential to contribute to national, political, economic, social and cultural development and to benefit from the results.

This is protected by;

-          The Charter of the United Nations

-          Constitutive Act of the African Union

-          Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

-          International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

-          International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

-          The Convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

-          The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol)