Revisiting Economic Empowerment as a Sufficient Remedy for Gender Based Violence: The Case of Jinja District in Uganda

Gender based violence (GBV) refers to any form of sexual, physical, psychological, or economic harm or threat to harm another that is rooted in gender based inequalities and unequal power relations. GBV violates human rights, significantly hampers economic productivity and development, and threatens health and wellbeing of millions worldwide. The WHO notes that over 35% of women worldwide have experienced GBV, however, in Uganda it is up to 74%. While several efforts have been put in place to address GBV, the most popularly used approach in Uganda is women's economic empowerment (WEE). This paper critiques the WEE approach for prevention of GBV in Uganda, arguing that WEE alone cannot prevent GBV. With evidence from empirical research conducted in eastern Uganda in 2017/2018, the paper argues for adoption of a multidimensional approach to addressing GBV.