Compliance with regional commitments on sexual and gender based violence in Uganda: Promoting external visibility to achieve internal viability

Abstract

This paper examines Uganda‘s compliance with commitments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV). The findings show that Uganda has partially complied with these commitments mainly by incorporating them into national laws and policies. Compliance is primarily motivated by domestic factors. Firstly, it aims at addressing a real need given that SGBV is a pervasive phenomenon in this country. Secondly, and in accordance with international relations perspective, this compliance, though partial, advances additional agendas, namely (1) promoting the country‘s positive image while diverting international and regional attention from internal governance deficits including controversial presidential elections of 2011 and 2016, (2) responding to advocacy pressure from women-led organisations‘ and (3) achieving political correctness in the eyes of national and international partners.