The four weeks from mid-March to mid-April 2020 has for so many around the globe, no doubt felt like the longest, age-old month of our lifetime! In Africa, in particular, it really took us by storm. Until then, the African continent seemed the place where it’s still good to be. That was until South Africa at one end of the African continent topped the number of Africa’s confirmed COVID-19 cases (2,028), while Algeria, on the opposite end, suffered the highest number of fatalities (275) as of 12 April 2020. 

The women’s rights movement and activists have advocated for inclusion of women and girls in development projects for decades. Guided by the principle of “Nothing for us Without us”, women’s participation and empowerment continue to be a major agenda in development-related forums, particularly those related to promoting women’s rights and empowerment. The recently concluded commemoration of International Women’s Day reaffirmed the need to re-awaken women’s participation and empowerment, most importantly for rural and ‘grass roots’ women and girls.

Some reflections on the Ododo Wa exhibit and experience

Gilbert Nuwagira

The “Ododo Wa: Stories of Girls in War” exhibit was developed by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (@CMHR_News) in partnership with Conjugal Slavery in War (CSiW) led by Prof Annie Bunting and Véronique Bourget . It seeks to ignite conversations from the stories of both Evelyn Amony and Grace Acan. “Ododo Wa” was designed as a travelling exhibit with the goal of maximizing its mobility to reach as many people as possible. It was launched on December 6^th 2019 at the Uganda National Museum and will go on to travel to Sierra Leone hosted by CSiW partners in Freetown.

Sexual Violence encompasses a wide range of human rights violations which include rape, defilement, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, human trafficking, harmful traditional practices, female genital mutilation, forced and coerced sterilization, sexual slavery, forced abortions, forced pregnancies, sexual exploitation or coercion. All of these can and do result in many negative consequences for human health and well-being .