Religious leaders in Acholi under their umbrella body- Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative - ARLPI has express concern about increasing cases of Gender based violence among the people in Acholi sub-region.
The concerns came out In their joint end of year statement which was read by their chairperson Most Reverend his graces Dr. John Baptist Odama who is also the Gulu archdiocese bishop.
ARLPI notices that Gender based violence has been very rampant in the country and acaholi sub region in the year 2023 something they says has contributed to lost of life, divorce , separation, family breakdown, orphanhood and suffering of innocent children.
According to ARLPI the GBV also led to increased poverty and diversion of resources that would have been used for other developments to address the effect of GBV.
The religious organisation in their statement encourages the family to embrace love quating that “when you love one another you can not think of being violence against the person you love”. 1st Corinthians 13:4-7, and shura 4:34 respectively.
ARLPI however urged the law enforcers to hold the perpetrators of GBV accountable as a deterrence measures to ending Gender based violence and ensuring justice for the victim of gender violence.
Meanwhile on the other-hand, other Religious leaders were also encouraged by ARLPI to fight GBV by condemning GBV in their daily summon and preaching thus must advocate for justice for the victim.
Gender-based violence is violence directed against a person because of that person's gender or violence that affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately.
In 2023 Gulu district probation department registered a total of 1917 cases of GBV.
Anena Jessica, the Gulu district senior probation officer had attributed high cases of GBV in Gulu; to poverty, having extra marital affair, coupled with alcoholism and substance abuses.
