TRACING THE ROOTS OF ARMED CONFLICT IN UGANDA

Uganda is one of the countries that has had a long history of conflict. Conflict has been part and parcel of the lives of many youth in Uganda. Since my child hood, there has been conflict occurring in different parts of the country at any one time.

I want to address in this article a fundamental issue that is a root cause of conflict in Uganda but is often un addressed and not discussed. When discussing the root causes of conflict in Uganda, it is easy to trace it to the colonial legacies, ethnicity and tribalism that has affected national cohesion as well as the materialistic tendencies of leaders that have so far been in power. Domestic violence or conflict is however often not mentioned in such debates.

Every one of us comes from a family and the family plays an important role in determining what kind of human being one will grow to become. As children grow, their perspectives of their society are largely shaped by what their parents tell them and what they see happening in their environments. When male children are told by their parents and communities that they are more superior to their female counter parts; that is the beginning of violence. When such a child grows into a man that batters his wife and does not respect other persons in his communities, who is to blame for the current violence that we see occurring?

Evidence from a national wide study undertaken by Uganda Reform Commission in April 2006 indicates that 66% of Ugandans report that domestic violence frequently occurs in their homes. Records from the Police stations indicate that domestic violence ranks among the highest of the cases reported monthly to these stations. North and Eastern Uganda are the worst affected areas with the highest incidences. These areas are also the worst affected by conflict and poverty in Uganda. Where as poverty and conflict are contributing factors causing domestic violence in homes, the root cause lies in the unequal power relations between women and men built on a culture that subordinates, discriminates and subjugates women in all aspects of life. Women in the Ugandan communities are battered by their partners, denied basic needs, abused, sub ordinated and disrespected. Domestic violence or conflict is any act or threat that is likely to result into physical, psychological, economic or sexual abuse and it us usually perpetrated by men against women.

When children grow up in such an environment, it is difficult to achieve a peaceful community or country. We are all reflections of one another; the armed conflict in the country is a true reflection of the domestic conflicts occurring in the homes which ultimately impact on the larger society.

Time is now however, that the current generation rewrites the history of their families and nation, Uganda. If as a young person I come from a family with a history of domestic violence, I can choose a different destiny by denouncing this bad practice in my own life. By doing this we will all be contributing to changing the destiny of our beloved families and country, Uganda. What do you think?