International Development Law Organization

Uganda

English

Uganda has made much progress in reducing poverty and promoting stability in past years, particularly through improvements on several justice-related indicators. Despite these gains, the justice sector still faces significant challenges relating to funding and capacity, public perceptions of pervasive corruption, inaccessibility of services for the poor sections of the population, low quality and sustainability of the legal aid and information services, costliness and slow speeds of dispute resolution, among others. These challenges have negatively affected citizens’ confidence in the formal system leading people to resort to other means to seek recourse and may also increase the likelihood of violence and further corruption. There is a therefore a need for effective interventions to enhance the reach, quality and sustainability of access to justice in Uganda.

UGANDA: Consolidating Efforts towards Gender-Responsive Treatment of Women Offenders in Western Uganda

This sub-project aimed to improve the gender-responsive treatment of women offenders in Western Uganda. Building on the results of the first phase of the sub-project, Penal Reform International (PRI) – Africa undertook a range of capacity development activities for prosecutors, lawyers, police officers, civil society organizations, community members and local leaders to promote gender-sensitive non-custodial alternatives to imprisonment.

UGANDA: Ensuring Sustainable Access to Justice for Adequate Living Rights through Legal Empowerment and Social Accountability in Rural Communities in Uganda – Phase II

This sub-project aimed to enhance sustainable access to justice for adequate living rights (ALRs) for vulnerable rural communities in Buyende, Kiboga and Kyankwanzi districts in Uganda. The Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT) delivered a series of capacity development and awareness-raising activities for formal justice actors and community members on the use of 2019 Human Rights Enforcement Act (HREA) and ALRs.

UGANDA: Enhancing Access to Justice for the Marginalized and Vulnerable Communities in Uganda

This sub-project aimed to enhance access to justice for marginalized and vulnerable communities of Kabale, Masindi, Kabarole, Gulu, Jinja, Kampala, in Uganda. The Uganda Law Society (ULS), through its legal aid clinics, provided the indigent, vulnerable and marginalized communities with quality legal aid services, such as legal advice, counselling, alternative dispute resolution and court representation.

UGANDA: Enhancing Leadership, Influence and Movement Building for Improved Gender Justice

This sub-project aimed to improve access to justice for poor, vulnerable and marginalized women in Uganda. The Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) enhanced the capacity of selected Parliamentary Committees on gender justice and gender-responsiveness and reviewed gender-related Bills for compliance with women’s and human rights’ standards.

UGANDA: Supporting Legal Aid Service Providers (LASPs) to Enhance Access to Justice for the Poor, Vulnerable and Marginalized in Uganda

This sub-project aimed to enhance access to justice for poor, vulnerable and marginalized people in Uganda by strengthening legal aid service delivery. In close cooperation with IDLO, the Legal Aid Service Providers Network (LASPNET) strengthened the capacity of Legal Aid Service Providers (LASPs) to deliver quality services by equipping them with standardized legal aid resource materials and knowledge on project management.

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Key Initiatives

  • IDLO is rolling out a program that aims to secure accessible, quality and sustainable justice services for citizens - particularly those living in rural, poor and other disadvantaged communities. The Community Justice Programme (CJP) supports both state and non-state legal aid, legal empowerment and other justice delivery interventions.
  • Promoting Healthy Diets and Physical Activity in Uganda
  • Adolescent girls and young women account for 71 percent of new HIV infections among young people in sub-Saharan Africa. They are more vulnerable to HIV because they are often subjected to a range of gender and age based biases, discrimination and violence, including sexual assault, forced marriage and trafficking. Despite growing HIV-related responses, they and their communities most often do not have the capacity, voice and power to hold these service providers accountable for improved delivery of quality HIV-related services.
  • One of the challenges in scaling up HIV-related legal services is the limited number of knowledgeable, skilled and committed lawyers to provide such services. Part of the solution therefore lies in building the capacity of law schools to ensure law graduates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to support human rights-based approaches to HIV. Many universities, including in East Africa, offer clinical legal education programs to give students direct experience of providing legal information to clients.
  • Rates of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) remain high in Uganda due to cultural practices, continued internal displacement, and low capacity of the justice system. IDLO is working to advance accountability for SGBV crimes committed in times of or after armed conflict in Uganda. 
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