Support 1,000+ Survivors of Sexual Abuse in Uganda

COVID-19 mandated lockdowns have caused the number of sexual and domestic violence occurrences to rise significantly. Uganda has been under a very strict nationwide lockdown since April 1st which has meant many survivors are forced to stay at home with their abusers. Last month, police estimated 3,280 recorded domestic violence cases. This is an increase of about 188% compared to monthly reported cases in 2019.

The United Nations has called for urgent action to combat the worldwide increase in domestic violence. Nyaka remains committed to providing free medical care, counseling, and legal advocacy services at no cost to all survivors. Nyaka’s Sexual & Gender-Based Violence Program Coordinator, Brendah Aryatugumya, and has continued offering survivors the counseling they need through dedicated phone lines. We are distributing posters in English and Rukiga to raise awareness of these issues and encourage survivors to access support. We are also working to raise additional funds to enable us to provide survivors with safehouses in order to remove them from the home or vicinity of their abusers.

Links:

• Nyaka's Website

In the past few months, your support has led to exciting developments for EDJA! You helped build two additional healing centers for survivors of sexual assault, bringing the total number of EDJA healing centers to four.

Additionally, your support brought two sexual and gender-based violence experts to Nyaka for intensive workshops on supporting survivors of sexual assault, recognizing the warning signs of gender-based violence, and collecting early forensic evidence. These workshops had a 99% attendance rate and reached grandmothers, grandfathers, and professionals from across the region!

Thanks to you, we are well on our way to transforming the EDJA healing centers into holistic SARCs (sexual assault referral centers). By connecting doctors, counselors, and police, EDJA can emphasize survivor-focused policies. These centers are the first in Uganda and will provide survivors with medical care, counseling, and legal support all in the same place, saving survivors from the shame and trauma of reporting directly to the police.

Because of your donations, more survivors than ever have access to these incredible resources for free. Thank you for all you do! 

Links:

• The Nyaka Website