Justice Victoria Nakintu Katamba, the head of the Masaka High Court Circuit, has expressed deep concern over the rising number of gender-based violence (GBV) cases in the area, attributing the trend to an apparent breakdown in the society’s moral fabric.
She notes that the circuit is currently overwhelmed by an exceptionally high number of GBV cases, many of which involve sexual abuse against women and underage girls. According to the station’s case census report, the Masaka High Court has 578 GBV-related cases committed for trial. Of these, 410 files fall under aggravated defilement, 147 are rape cases, and 13 involve accomplices to defilement, among others.
Justice Nakintu explains that her experience in handling sexual violence cases in the region suggests that one of the major drivers of the high prevalence is the breakdown of family structures, which has eroded social and moral standards within the community. She says many perpetrators are men who lacked proper family foundations that would have nurtured them into responsible adults with acceptable values.
She further observes that the erosion of family-based child-nurturing systems has, over time, produced many irresponsible male adults who place little value on the female gender, making it easier for them to abuse women and girls.
Justice Nakintu adds that the Masaka High Court Circuit is currently constrained in expeditiously handling all the registered GBV cases due to the limited number of judges. She says this challenge underscores the need for all stakeholders to revive and strengthen family units, which she describes as the foundation of social values and morality.
Besides appealing to the judiciary to deploy at least one more High Court Judge to Masaka to ensure timely delivery of justice—and deter potential offenders—she says the court will also engage key stakeholders to work collectively toward reversing the worrying trends.
Ada Ojur Nkorenta, the Greater Masaka Regional Manager for Child Registration Outreach, a nongovernmental organisation that rehabilitates street children and promotes gender-based rights, notes that some communities in the region still believe in myths that fuel abuses against the female gender.
She says the region still grapples with offenders who attach significance to having sexual intercourse with underage girls based on superstitious beliefs, stressing the need for increased public sensitisation on human rights.
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