By Ronald Orachwun

As a seal that is often misconceived as a thing of the distant future and yet the reality is that the future is all around us.

It’s the combination of the actions we take today to the reality we are witnessing right now including the escalating climate crisis and this acts as a stark reminder of the consequences of our past decisions and serves as a compelling call to action for us to forge a decent path to preserve the environment.

While we always think of climate change in terms of rising sea levels, this is not where the story ends.

The question that lingers in the minds of everybody is that, “Why is climate change contributing to the increased gender based violence?”

Situation in Zombo district.

Zombo district is found in the West Nile region of Uganda with 1,472 domestic water points serving a total of 217,971 people in rural areas. 308 water points have been non-functional for over 5 years and are considered abandoned, according to the water Atlas from the Ministry of Water and Environment.

 It is one of the poorest, coldest and most hard to reach districts not just in Northern Uganda but the whole country.

Besides its cool weather, it is also one of the hottest districts particularly in the dry season when taps run dry and the seasonal water sources that most households rely on dry up due to the harsh weather conditions.

A district where the lives of countless women and girls especially those in the rural areas who bear the biggest burden pf fetching water are at risk of violence as they move long distances.

But has the government read its own notebook on service delivery in Zombo district?

“What do you expect from a district that allocates about 900 million shs to water and sanitation sector in a financial year and ends up sending close to only 2.5 million shs to a lower local government? That’s quite similar to what happened last financial year and that’s why areas like Ujigu, Ucungulir, Anywongu, Umurire and Samba in Alangi Sub County completely have no water and residents there are relying in streams which by now I think are already dry due to this hot weather”, said Bolingo Francis the LC5 Councilor for Athuma Sub County.

According to the water Atlas from the Ministry of Water and Environment, the water access rates in Zombo district vary from 56 % in Alangi Sub-County to 95 % in Jangokoro Sub-County.

This has left most women and girls in the rural parts of the district who bear the burden of fetching water for their households are a higher risk of gender based violence as some have to move long distances in search for clean and safe water.

While in my field visits, I spoke to three women who had gone through at least a form of violence in the last two years as a result of water scarcity.

Since the content of this story contains sexual assault, we will call her Vicky, who currently resides in Samba village in Alangi Sub County in Zombo district, a previously smiling, hardworking 25-year-old young newly married woman full of energy.

Vicky was in October 2022 divorced by her husband with whom she had stayed for only 9 months after their traditional marriage that was at the center of envy by every youth in the village.

Close relatives said the man could not stand the stigma and shame of living with a woman who was molested by strangers. The man also feared contracting HIV/AIDS just in case his wife acquired the virus.

Vcky’s story is one of the many told by victims of rape who were sexually abused by strangers as they go about looking for water for their households.

“I have moved and seen so many prostitutes around especially in these urban centers around here. But that is their choice. For someone who has been married and has had a piece of what I went through is not easy and still remains a mystery to me. I was staying with my husband in Ullalu village at the border of Zombo Town Council and Zeu Sub County. Late September of 2022, I was raped by three different men as I was coming back from a dug out well at around 7:30 pm where I went to fetch water for my home. You know here we have a big problem of water scarcity. No borehole and the only way to survive is cross to the well for you to get water that is even not safe enough for domestic consumption”, she said before she broke in tears.

The ensuing revelation was even more shocking.

Three weeks after the incident, Vicky discovered that she was not only pregnant but also developed vaginal fistula, a tunnel-like opening that develops in the wall of the vagina as a result of the gang rape.

 “It is not easy living with memories of being gang raped. This is the pain I have to live with for the rest of my life. The memory of one man on top of you and you are still imagining that two or three of the men are already erect and waiting for their turns. I cry everyday whenever I recall these nasty memories. U remember before I left, my husband beat me up accusing me of carelessness. So since then I have been at home trying to rebuild my life”, she said as she broke down once again.

Local leaders speak out

The Member of Parliament for Ora Country in Zombo district who doubles as the Chairperson Climate Change committee of Parliament expressed concern that families are breaking as a result of negative changes in Climatic conditions.

“Climate change has become a serious issue which is greatly affecting our economy and our women are going through a lot and so many cases of abuse are going unreported.                                                                                                                                       We saw recently how schools in South Sudan were closed because the heat waves intensified and that has a direct link to issues of domestic violence.                                                            People especially the women are walking long distances looking for water and firewood and we have some men who just don’t understand because when food delays and the man comes quarrelling, the result is that the woman is beaten or assaulted and this is how we are losing marriages today.                                                                To make matters worse, most of our farmers depend on rain fed agriculture and because of climate change, there is a lot of stress in families. There is no farming, there is no water, no firewood and there is no food in homes and all these are contributing factors to domestic or gender based violence and that’s why everybody should play their role in addressing these negative climatic changes we are witnessing today”, he said.

Meet Scovia Ayiorwoth, a mother of six and a resident os Acoro village in Akaa Sub County in Zombo district.

She shared with us how dry seasons have become a night mare in her household.

“I have two boys and four daughters. Me and my girls get worried every time we think of dry seasons. We have been harassed several times by my husband. I remember how one of my daughters and I were beaten with a bicycle lock on Christmas day of 2023 because we failed to fetch water in time. Me and my daughter still have scars on our backs”, she said.

Yanitho Agnes, the vice LC3 Chairperson Alangi Sub County Zombo district says, “We have received a number of similar cases where especially the women are being battered because of water. Just at tend of January this year a woman came crying to the office of the Community Development department with stretch marks all over her face and narrated how she was badly slapped by her husband because she had delayed to bring water home in time and the man became suspicious that the woman was having an affair with her best friend and little did he know that the woman delayed along the way as she went about looking for water which will be used by the whole home”, she said.

Adding, “We have had to form vigilante groups in villages because yes we all know the problem right now is that our meagre budget is not enough to provide water everywhere. But I think it’s not about water anymore but security. Some men are just sexually being starved at their homes and their anger turns to innocent women looking for water on their own. So we have formed vigilante groups in villages and the local council leadership around the Sub County are aware, we have been warning people to stop disturbing these women and young girls because we are all going through the same problem and some people should not take advantage of the situation and perpetuate violence because they are going to be arrested and prosecuted and the security team in the Sub County is aware of our decision”.

The figures.

The regional Police in West Nile in the year 2021 reported that cases of gender based violence were on the increase.

Josephine Angucia, the region’s Police spokesperson said 5,372 cases of violence, most of which were against women and girls were reported since 2017.

Also, according to the case log book at the human rights clinic at Life Concern, a local Community based organization CBO based in Paidha Town Council Zombo district, 134 cases of GBV were reported at the facility since January 2022 to April 2024.

“I have handled a number of GBV cases. But some of the critical cases I remember were at the end of last year when there was a lot of rain. People planted their crops but the yields didn’t come in handy due to too much rian. In one of the cases, though I don’t quite exactly where she was from but a woman could not understand the situation and that marked the start of violence at her home. She was beaten several times between November and December last year. She only reported to us with bruises all over body because she could not take it anymore. But also unfortunately some of the cases have gone unreported and people are dying silently in the villages. But honestly climate change and domestic or gender based violence is real”, said Biryema Stella the Programme officer in the department of human rights, gender, social justice and peace at Life Concern.

So where have we gone wrong?

According to the 2023 report on Ugandans’ experiences and opinions

on water, sanitation and hygiene by Twaweza East Africa ttled, “Turning on the taps”, in the dry season, only 30 percent of households interviewed were able to collect their drinking water in under 30 minutes, leaving many people to walk for between 5 to 7 hours looking for water.

But what exactly is the problem?

In terms of destruction of the forest cover, West Nile region has lost close to 70 percent of its forest cover through hosting refugees, charcoal burning, illegal logging in Zoka central forest reserve in Adjumani district, Kei central forest reserve, Ajai forest reserve in Madi Okollo district and Kalowang forest reserve in Nebbi district with others in Maracha and Terego districts.

“The destruction has been massive; we have seen army generals placing themselves to clear forests in the region without shame. Almost every week, trucks of charcoal and timbers leave West Nile region to God knows where including in the neighboring South Sudan and most of these trucks are owned by the powerful people in the society including politicians and some technical staff in districts who issue licenses to thieves who just come and cut down our trees and no one is talking about it because they are untouchable. We have not stopped people from cutting down trees but when we do, people should be forced to plant more. So today if you see our women suffering, we are the ones creating these problems for ourselves. But coming to gender based violence as a result of climate change, you know we have so many people in Africa and West Nile who depend on nature for survival and where nature is not productive enough, then the people suffer. The immediate effect of climate change is scarcity of water and firewood including some diseases and this greatly affects the woman. In events the woman goes distances looking for water or firewood, it builds mistrusts and that’s how violence comes. You have seen women who walk for over five hours because water sources are very far. I’m telling you that’s how climate change is being cruel to our women who are suffering beatings and families are breaking. Similarly, because of this vulnerability, women have lost their rights to land because men think they can determine or run everything on behalf of the women. Let me tell you, you might have a sister but some of the things are left to you as a brother or the man or the man of the house to determine and yet climate change affects everybody. I think we must leve some of these traditional ways of reasoning and channel our attention both men and women to address the climate crisis in front of us”, said William Amanzuru from Friends of Zoka, a non-governmental organization founded as a pressure group to save Zoka Forest Reserve in Adjumani in 2016. Their work later expanded to involve advocating for environmental conservation in West Nile region.

Way forward.

As a mitigation factor to climate change, all suggestions point to the tree planting.

The Church of Uganda Nebbi diocese distributed over 230 tree seedlings to individual farmers in Paidha Sub County Zombo district.

The pines tree seedlings were distributed to crop farmers in Olyeko village under the One village transformed OVT project being implemented by Church of Uganda Nebbi diocese.

“The way I look at things if we don’t advocate for tree planting, we shall not have rains very soon because most of the trees are down, people are burning charcoal and others are busy cutting down trees for timbers. Unfortunately, people are not planning more trees. The Church gave out few seedlings but we wanted to alert the community that the only way is through planting trees. And for our farming community, we are looking at installation of tanks for storing water for farming irrigation especially planting short maturing crops like greens, beans to save our people from hunger especially during the dry seasons”, said Kwiocwiny Molly Bright the agriculture facilitator One village transformed OVT project being implemented by the Church of Uganda Nebbi diocese.

In the neighboring Nebbi district, officials have initiated a tree planting campaign that will see 40,000 seedlings planted along major roads in the district.

According to statistics, over 10,000 seedlings of pines have so far been planted as the district seeks to address the negative effects of climate change.

William Amanzuru, from Friends of Zoka based in Adjumani district says the only way to stop violence against women is theough tree planting.

“There is no beating about the bush. We just need to have a stakeholder dialogue. We need to invest and  have climate change or climate action officers in each districts to spearhead restoration of the environment for us to see improvement in climate because those destroying the environment are not the people down there but the elite people in the society. I believe the current efforts are not enough but we need to have a cross cutting engagement like how do we mitigate between; culture and climate change, business and climate change, religion and climate change. Let the business people know that it is their corporate social responsibility to help in climate mitigation. And then every family in the region should wake up and grow at least five trees every month. For instance, when a family loses a loved one, instead of doing many unproductive things during funerals, we could plant a tree in memory of the deceased and it must be deliberate and possible. For us to achieve this, we also need to empower the women to own land and that’s when they will freely join the fight against climate change”, he said.

This climate change & Gender Based Violence story in Northern Uganda was done with support from the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) through Northern Uganda Media Club NUMEC.