Human rights
KCs document what life is like for people facing human rights abuses due to their age, sexuality, gender, health status or disability.
Many KCs report personal accounts of men who have sex with men, transgenders and people living with HIV who are struggling to access health services due to stigma and discrimination.
KCs also document legal challenges brought against governments for failing to provide services that meet basic human rights such as the right to health, as well as civil society campaigns around stigma reduction and health provision.
Raped at gun point by her supposed protector
From www.monitor.co.ug
“It had just stopped raining. One carried a baton and another had a gun. As they approached, I happily thought my first pay for the night had come,” Sarah Nakato, a sex worker in her 30s narrates her ordeal when two policemen approached her as she stood in a street corner after midnight. go
Commonwealth members urged to stamp out child marriage
Millions of girls throughout the Commonwealth are subjected to early and forced marriage and member states should do more to end the practice, according to global children’s organization, Plan International. KC Anthony Aisi reports. more
Policy makers gather to discuss young people’s sexual reproductive rights
National policy makers, councillors and chiefs will today (27 October, 2011) meet to discuss young people in Zimbabwe’s sexual, reproductive and human rights (SRHR). more
Anti-gay bill to return to Ugandan parliament
From 256news.com
The controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009 will return to Ugandan parliament for discussion, ending widely publicised speculation that a Cabinet sub-committee had buried it. Proposed by Ndorwa West MP David Bahati, the bill seeks to criminalise aggravated homosexuality, with those convicted facing a death sentence. go
Elderly appeal for government support amid difficult times
Elderly people in Uganda have said they could be destined for bad times if the government does not address the challenges they face. As they marked the International Day for the Elderly last week, the elderly said today’s rapidly changing … more
Is Uganda still considered an HIV/Aids success story?
Uganda is often used as a model for Africa in the fight against HIV and AIDS. There are an estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV in Uganda, which includes 150,000 children. more
Patients in Bundibugyo main hospital miss treatment due to poor sanitation
Reports from Bundibugyo district, Western Uganda indicate that dozens of patients in the main hospital suffered doubly this morning (12 October 2011) when they were sent home without being attended to due to poor sanitation in the hospital. more
‘Great disappointment’ as maternal death case deferred for fourth time
Uganda’s Constitutional Court has today (12 October 2011) again postponed hearing the case of the deaths of Sylvia Nalubowa from Mityana, and Jennifer Anguko, a district councilor in Arua, both of whom died in childbirth. KC Sharifah reports. more
Kabarole MP: health worker absenteeism ‘a big concern’
Victoria Businge Rusoke, the woman MP for Kabarole, has expressed concern over “discipline and unethical conduct” practiced by some health workers in the district. more
Zambia civil society launches rights charter
Women for Change, a non-governmental organization (NGO), has led civil society in launching the Zambia We Want Charter, to lift the voices and visions of the Zambian people. more
Case study: sex work, HIV, and human rights in Peru
From www.aidstar-one.com
In Peru, where cultural norms emphasize women’s subordination and the importance of masculinity, programs with a focus on gender—particularly those involving sex workers—are often underfunded and under represented. This case study (one of nine in a series) describes how three organizations focused on sex workers and transgendered and transsexual people have joined together to advance the rights of sex workers. go
Theatrical performance in Zimbabwe commemorates World Habitat Day
The impact of Zimbabwe’s mass forced evictions on the rights of children has been commemorated through a theatrical performance in Harare by Amnesty International Zimbabwe for World Habitat Day (3 October, 2011). more
Empowering men who have sex with men to live healthy lives
From www.aidstar-one.com
A support network plus access to legal and psychological support are essential components of HIV programming for most-at-risk populations. In Colombia, obtaining this support is difficult for many members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community due to pervasive stigma and discrimination. Bogotá’s LGBT Community Center was founded in order to help fill this need and serves a clientele comprised mainly of men who have sex with men. This case study (one of nine in a series) examines the center’s efforts to provide a social and educational base for its clients while also advocating for their rights. go
Poor roads and infrastructure in Ruteete sub county, Uganda putting mothers at risk
Medical workers at Ruteete Health C enter III in Kabarole district, Western Uganda have decried the poor state of infrastructure at the center, which they say is making their work difficult. more
South Sudan women focus of new push for rights by female lobbyists
Eclipsed by a stretch of human rights abuses, women from the new state of South Sudan can hope to join the global web of freedom if a new push by female lobbyists to have their interests incorporated into the African Charter on women’s rights come to bear, reports KC Dnjagi. more
Older people call for action on healthcare
Older people in Uganda have appealed to government to for affirmative action on the provision of health services to older people in all government hospitals. more