Ugandan faith leaders work to confront increase in gender-based violence

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnBUPOTO, Uganda (RNS) — Residents of this eastern town of Uganda are still in disbelief months after police arrested a 48-year-old pastor accused of hacking his 44-year-old wife to death.“The pastor killed his pregnant wife because he suspected her of having an extramarital affair with another man in this area,” said Irene Mukasa, a resident of Bupoto, about the Jan. 4 slaying. “We are still in shock because no one is safe. Even men serving God at different levels have also become perpetrators of domestic violence.”
Mukasa said such crimes in the region and across the country have left the majority of women to live in fear and avoid expressing themselves freely before men and in public. “Such attacks instill fear in women so that they are not able to question anything or defend themselves against any accusations or abuse,” said the 38-year-old mother of three.
Regional police spokesperson Rogers Taitika confirmed the slaying, saying the pastor was arrested two months ago and charged with murder. Taitika lamented the increase in cases of domestic violence in the region, noting that his office had recorded over 70 cases of domestic violence and four murder cases from January to June 2023 alone.
“The situation is getting worse, and something needs to be done ur …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]