Stakeholders and leaders together with women in a session to read the stakement - Photo by Sabir Musa.

By Hellen Agondua and Sabir Musa

Arua City

Arua City leaders and stakeholders have made commitments to protect and support women in addressing challenges that they face while in line of duty.

In a statement prepared by the women, both in the formal and informal sectors, several challenges including sexual harassment, insufficient wages and limited access to credit are listed. They are calling for support and protection from stakeholders to address the challenges.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) indicates that the informal sector contributes to more than 50% of Uganda’s economy and 80% of employment.

While reading part of the statement, Mvara Women Market Vendors Chairperson, Joyce Oyeru, noted that, women in the sector are still facing challenges.

“This highlights the critical role informal workers play in the nation’s economic growth. However, despite their significant contributions, workers in the sector remain largely unrecognized and inadequately protected by current legal and policy frame works, they endure numerous vulnerabilities including poor working conditions, lack of access to social protection and insufficient wages, limited access to credit, denial of trade union rights and exposure to violence” the statement reads.

A Legal Officer at FIDA Uganda, Rehema Minala, highlights that many women are survivors of Gender Based Violence and calls for attention of authorities to the work-related challenges.

“Factors such as marital status, age, ethnicity, religion and disability heighten our susceptibility to gender based violence and harassment compounding our experiences of discrimination. C190 adopted in 2023 sends a bold and clear message gender based discrimination will no longer be tolerated in the world of work,” she said.

Arua City Council Speaker, Gloria Yaako Teddy, made commitments on-behalf of the council to protect women and address some of the challenges they are facing at work places. “On behalf of Arua City Council, that is Arua City Local Government, we pledge our total support in implementing and monitoring the statement made by the Arua City women market vendors,” the Speaker commits.

West Nile Regional Gender Focal Person at Uganda Police Force, SP Jimmy Anguyo, equally pledges support by enforcing the law. “Uganda Police Force confirm 100% support in as far as offences committed against Arua City women market vendors are concerned. We are not going to leave any stone un-turned in as far as the perpetrators who commit these offenses are concerned” he commits.

According to the International Centre for Research on Women, 50% of women globally face risk of sexual harassment, violence and discrimination in their workplaces.