The National Association of Women Judges – Uganda (NAWJU) in partnership with the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) on Friday held a meeting to validate the Training and Resource manuals on gender responsive adjudication.
The meeting which was held held at the Judicial Training Institute in Nakawa, was flagged off by the President NAWJU, Lady Justice Henrietta Wolayo, who shared that the development of the manuals had taken six months. This, she attributed to the commitment of the consultant, Hon Dora Byamukama, for undertaking the process of developing both manuals in spite of the barriers posed by COVID-19.
Justice Wolayo applauded IDLO for their financial and technical support and urged all the members present to participate actively during the meeting.
The IDLO Uganda Coordinator for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, Mr. Isaac Galiwango said the two manuals will help in the promotion of women and girls rights. "When these products pass the test of quality, they will provide building blocks for the promotion of rights of women and girls in Uganda and beyond," he said.
Adding that IDLO was implementing the Community Justice Program (CJP) in Uganda with the objective of enhancing the accessibility, quality and sustainability of justice services delivered for rural, vulnerable and marginalised communities.
After presentations of both manuals by Hon Byamukama, a validation exercise was conducted where both manuals were adopted.
The Executive Director of the Judicial Training Institute, Hon. Justice Damalie N. Lwanga, thanked the participants for taking part in a “satisfactory and successful” validation meeting.
She also noted that the manuals are user-friendly.
Background
The Judicial Officers Training and Resource manuals on gender responsive adjudication were developed to improve adherence to the principle of gender equality in handling of cases as enshrined in the Constitution of Uganda and International Human Rights Laws.
By: Christine Lydia Nabunya