Archive for December, 2009

Sure Start Project

December 11th, 2009

Sure Start Project

About the project

Sure Start is an exciting and innovative project whose aim is to develop the use of Karate and Taekwondo around community schools in Tororo to improve the status of girls and bring about improving gender relations in the communities in which they live.

Why Martial Arts

Many girls who participate in Karate or Taekwondo act as role models for other girls leading to a change in self image with many more girls developing self confidence they need to stay longer in school, resist unwanted pressures that lead to forced/early marriage, HIV infection, and girls dropping out of school.

The Need

However, many girls today still lack choices and options mainly because of deep-rooted inequalities that are often gender based. For some, violence and fear are facts of daily life. For others, motherhood comes early before their bodies are fully mature and able to bear children without harm, while others are denied the education given to their brothers or, if they do attend school, have limited job opportunities.

In the community, parental desire for bride price, weak and inappropriate enforcement of laws, breakdown of social norms, forced migration, and preferences for the boy child, compounded by poverty has led to discrimination of girls whose voices are not heard in decision making processes in matters that affect their lives.

Many children especially girls, also lack knowledge and awareness of their rights to protection from violence and abuse. They lack opportunities for recreation and life skills development, and are unable to negotiate safer sex and relationships (UNICEF, 2000).

They tend to suffer in silence leading many, girls especially, to grow up feeling socially isolated, denied education and opportunities, and in fear of being sold into unwanted or serial marriages with all their devastating consequences.

Approach

Sure Start operates in the Eastern region of Uganda and right now has training centres in Tororo and Pallisa districts with a total of 120 girls who have completed training to become trainers and over 500 who are undergoing karate / Taekwondo training. The project targets only girls between the ages of 11 to 17 years, to develop their skills in the realm of conflict management, relationships and domestic violence. Each girl undertakes 2 sports and one gender training a week for 17 weeks.

Using the FEEL FREE resource pack developed by MIFUMI, the girls gain valuable information about relationships, violence and abuse; develop self awareness and a sense of personal ownership over their bodies. They are able to share experiences, learn how to avoid risky situations, stay longer in schools, and avoid early marriages, violent relationships and HIV infection, and to provide informed support to others.

This initiative was developed with generous support from Women Win, the International Women’s Fund that supports sport and physical activities as instruments for social change and women’s empowerment.

The MIFUMI Project is a developmental NGO and women’s rights organization based in Tororo. The organization has worked for over ten years to reduce the burden of poverty; addressing issues that hinder development. MIFUMI particularly protects women and children experiencing domestic violence and bride price related violations.

MIFUMI Box 274, Tororo. Mobile 0772 630906 Office 0392 966 282

Email: mifumi@mifumi.org Website: www.mifumi.org

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There is a link between Bride Price & HIV

December 3rd, 2009

There is a link between bride price and HIV/Aids Glyn Turner
Sex is a major component of bride price. Under customary law, the man purchases the unlimited sexual services of the woman. Perhaps to call married women, sex slaves, would be rather extreme but certainly the power associated with the payment of bride price is tangible and particularly in the marital bed.
The payment of bride price can be compared to the purchase of a woman. After the deal has been done, then she is mine and within no reason I can do with her what I want. Sex is at my convenience. Another child even if a risk to the wife’s health, well it is my right. I have paid the price and thus should expect all the benefits. The power is mine as the man.
This harmful cultural practice has been linked to many problems including early marriages, domestic violence, limited girl child education, unwanted widow inheritance and others but the topic for today is the most deadly consequence of bride price, that being HIV and Aids.
The power associated with bride wealth should not be underestimated. Dr Anthony Okoth, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Mulago Hospital, says “Bride price makes marriages irreversible including conjugal rights which is a very dangerous situation and these can be exploited.”
Men have more say on sexual relations when bride price has been paid. The wife cannot challenge the status quo even if she knows (or suspects) that the husband is HIV positive. Polygamy has been identified as one of the high-risk practices that perpetuate HIV transmission. Thus women are likely to find themselves hooked to risky relationships, in which their power to control their bodies is expressly denied by tradition.
In Botswana, it has been reported that one woman was severely beaten, and suffered rape when she suggested condom use, which saw the man retorting: “I paid lobola (bride price) in full, and no cow was deducted to compensate for the use of condoms.”
It is well known that bride wealth causes early marriage of the girl-child. Often this is by wealthy, experienced, sometimes HIV positive men. Early marriage of course means early involvement in sexual intercourse.
In ground-breaking research titled, Bride Price, Poverty and Domestic Violence in Uganda by Prof. Gill Hague and Dr Ravi Thiara, it was confirmed that bride price has strong links to HIV.
The research showed that 61 per cent of those interviewed felt that bride price had mainly negative effects. The research highlighted that the increased spread of HIV/Aids in villages was through widow inheritance and the parents of a girl were more interested in a good bride price rather than protecting her health.
The founder of Kadama Widows Association, Mary Mosinghi, says if a woman didn’t think she was paid for she would have the confidence to question some of the things she has in the relationship and stand up for her rights.
Sadly, if you are reading this, you are likely to be better educated, earning more than $1 a day and have more power than the poor rural woman largely affected by bride price. We have a duty to speak out against cultural practices that aggravate HIV/Aids.
Mr Turner is founding director of MIFUMI, an NGO Protecting women and children from violence and abuse
0752 615 339

http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/opinions/There_is_a_link_between_bride_price_and_HIV_Aids_95467.shtml

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