ORANGE THE WORLD

Safeboda championing a campaign against
gender based violence in Uganda.

As we go through the 16 days of activism to end  gender based violence against women and girls, I am reminded of so many bitter experiences I have had to numb my nerves against for sanity's sake.

For those that might not know, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. The campaign runs every year from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day. The color Orange symbolizes a brighter future, free of violence.

I keep thinking to myself how I can use these days to actually make a difference to save or change a soul, but the courage to do so is still so far away from my wishes. To have to go through violence is one experience that I think until you go through it, you would never understand fully. 

I am yet to hear from a woman who has not experienced this kind of violence especially here in Uganda. I recently overheard someone make a comment that if you have never been told by a boda boda guy that you are beautiful ( which is often followed by grabbing or insults of you negatively respond) , you must be the ugliest being to have walked on these Ugandan soils.

The rage in my heart. I didn't even know where to start from to tell this young man that that is the ugliest sense of compliments any girl or  woman should ever have to go through. Before I did, everyone laughed out loud like that was the dopiest joke anyone ever told. It was sad enough that a young man thought this way, but worse to see that this has become so normalized to the extent that women here were in agreement.

Calling that sexual assault opened up a debate that you probably already know where it ended.

The thing with violence is that we think that it depends on the offender. No it doesn't.  Probably a boda boda rider is not one most of us expect respect from so his actions don't seem like they matter much. When someone close to you carries out an offensive act against your body, your mind, you will never be the same again. 

Gender based violence could be physical, emotional, economical. While we are used to the physical bit of it, the emotional is largely unrecognized as violence. Some of us are in controlled relationships or marriages and we think that's okay simply because the offender has a side that cares and loves us as much. Don't let the honeymoon fail  your conscience.  

As human beings we all deserve to be treated equally whether we are children, men or women. Break the chain of gender-based violence. Write if you can, speak if you can and  act if you can. All our small actions matter.