Accountability to the Feminist Movement in Uganda

While it is true that the work done by MenEngage and its network of like- minded organisations was always going to be met with challenges, given the attitudes towards gender that are prevalent across the continent, the case of Uganda offers an opportunity to examine and reflect upon a very particular kind of challenge. It is a fact that, in the areas of gender rights and relations, and gender-based violence, much of the work that has been done has been done by women. More specifically, feminist organisations, drawing from a rich history of movements against the oppression of women in patriarchal societies, and drawing historical and current relevance from the ongoing struggle to ensure gender equality in the family and in society, have been at the forefront of the fight to eradicate gender-based violence.

Given these undeniable sociological facts, it was always going to require a great deal of tact and increasing levels of awareness, for anyone seeking to carve out a role for men in the space of gender relations, to do so in a manner that does not disregard or step on the toes of those who have already been doing the work. While the case of MenEngage Uganda’s accountability to the feminist movement in Uganda serves as a very noticeable example of how these kinds of challenges can arise, it is by no means an indication that similar challenges have not arisen in other countries across the continent.