Greetings from the International Association of Women Judges-Uganda Chapter.
It is with great pleasure that I address you today and we are humbled and honored to participate in this important Family Justice Summit/Symposium.
I want to start by thanking the Judiciary for organizing this activity. The timing is perfect as we are focused on ADR and mediation week. The program is comprehensive and I am sure we shall leave here better equipped to handle family disputes.
Family justice is a key area of focus for Women Judges Associations all over the world. It has been part of our agenda since this Uganda Chapter of IAWJ was formed in 1994.
The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) Uganda Chapter is part of the global IAWJ that works towards advancing equal justice for women and girls throughout the world.
The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) was started over thirty years ago by a core group of 50 (fifty) dynamic and visionary women judges from around the world. The IAWJ brings together judges from all levels of the judiciary worldwide, creating a powerful network of influential leaders committed to equal justice and the rule of law.
The IAWJ founders began with a vision of increasing the number of women judges and promoting equal justice for women and girls throughout the world. Today, the IAWJ has grown into a highly respected organization with over 6,500 judicial officers in more than 100 countries and territories; it continues to expand its membership and with strong regional Chapters; Uganda belongs to the Africa Region. The headquarters of the IAWJ is in Washington, DC, USA.
We in IAWJ recognized the importance of enhancing Family Justice in order to improve societal livelihood opportunities in Uganda. A Family is a fundamental building block of society. Stability of a nation begins in a home. People need stability in a home in order to be productive. The government is responsible for nurturing strong families.
We are all aware that the most common family disputes in Uganda include: – impact of child neglect including lack of parental guidance, family breakups due to separation and divorce, child custody battles, adoption and guardianship complications, rampant domestic violence and conflicts during succession. These problems have increasingly become a key concern, especially for society’s poor and marginalized persons. Due to power and control dynamics the bargaining power for vulnerable is very limited. The social and cultural practices also provide special challenges.
In many instances, family problems are often at the centre of land disputes and violent crimes that include domestic violence, assaults, grievous harm, and murder. This interplay has a direct impact on societal livelihoods.
The Family justice system is the legal machinery that applies regulations to disputes concerning family or between family members. We need to be intentional as we come up with strategies to make family justice available to all especially the vulnerable.
Today’s intervention is timely for the Judiciary as it contributes to Uganda’s Vision 2040, which focuses on strengthening the economy’s fundamentals to harness the abundant opportunities around the country.
This conversation will help kick start other important conversations on important issues in family justice. This platform mainly focuses on the role of ADR in family justice which is a good starting point to facilities change of attitude and manage case backlog and protect the family dynamics.
IAWJ-UC hopes that this will lead to other conversations especially on the following issues;
- How the judiciary and justice actors handle the different types of vulnerabilities.
- How the judiciary and other Justice Actors are enforcing the Domestic Violence Act especially civil remedies. Best practices to be followed.
- Best practices in handling children maintenance in Family Courts.
- The problem of incest in the family unit and how the justice system can address related challenges.
- Role of stakeholders in family justice and building of synergy
- Introduction to youth justice and the impact of family dynamics
- Recent landmark Decisions and emerging trends on
- Property rights amongst cohabitees.
- Distribution of property during separation and divorce.
- Spouse rights vis a vis family rights during burial.
- Child Justice in post-separation and divorce.
- Recommendations and Best Practices in Family Justice cases.
I wish to end by thanking everyone for attending this important conversation. Making time to attend at short notice is greatly appreciated.
I thank the Family High Court Division, JT1 and ADR Committee lead by the Hon Deputy Chief Justice for making this event possible. Of course we thank the Supreme Court for hosting us here in this lovely building.
I cannot thank IDLO enough for always supporting IAWJ-UC in our activities and making this event possible. It started as an idea and now it is a conversation that will lead to more conversations. I also thank Sweden for their support.
Hopefully our other Development partners shall support us on other key aspects that will make Family justice a reality to all Ugandans.
Thank you for your kind attention.
God Bless you all. For God and my Country
Elizabeth Jane Alividza, President IAWJ-UC