Uganda`s Wife Beaters

When I was young, many years ago, I never understood why husbands beat up their wives, more so in public. One day as I was going to school with my siblings, I came across a crowd that seemed to be cheering at something. At first I thought it was “dikuula” the town clown entertaining them for a few coins, but as I went closer, I saw two people locked together and covered in dirt. I realised I knew these people. They shared a neighbourhood with me. The man had sunk his teeth in the woman’s ear in an attempt to get her to let go of her tight grip on his manhood.  i would have loved to see how it all played out, but the school bell denied me the chance to witness how the fight ended.

Residents of the now demolished nakawa and naguru estate can testify to the relentless public fights that characterised most days and nights. Couples fought for reasons ranging from cheating spouses to failure to buy food for the family. But in fact the real reason behind these fights can be attributed to the economic situation of the country that left many jobless, poor and disillusioned. Without jobs, men were left with too much time on their hands with too little to do. As the saying goes, misery loves company; they ended up gathering in cheap bars to drink to forget about their problems. of course the children grew up to emulate their parents

a public fight between a man and his partner

Culture also played a big role in promoting domestic violence. Unlike today where courtship and dating is fashionable, in the past, parents had the urge to book husbands and wives for their children therefore leading to arranged marriages. Imagine having to marry someone you have never met, let alone like.  It was very easy for the husbands to vent by beating on their wives; after all she wasn’t his choice. reports have showed that dosmestic violence is highest in eastern Uganda mostly among the bagisu and the main cause being sexual starvation. a husband recently badly beat up his wife to the extent of blinding her simply because she wasn't ready to have sex with him just 2months after child birth. the government and other NGO`s have come out to educate the rural communities about the dangers of gender based and domestic violence.

Today however, the women are gaining power over the men given the current education system that not only allows the girl child to study but also provides it freely and because of this, the women are now more aware and emancipated. The men are waking up to a reality that women today are climbing up economically, politically and academically.