A consortium of 17 Women organizations under their umbrella body, UWONET have today petitioned the gender, labour and social development minister, Hon. Janat Mukwaya seeking to hold the junior tourism minister Hon. Godfrey Kiwanda Suubi accountable for what they call derogatory remarks he made against them as he launched the miss curvy competition.
The women led
by the executive director UWONET Rita Achiro and the chairperson, Tezra Jamwa held a two hours closed
door meeting with the minister at her office in Kampala where they raised serious
concerns over the remarks made by Kiwanda
and asked the minister to compel Hon. Kiwanda
to apologize and retract his remarks.
Women
further say, they are not against missy curvy pageant, but are very seriously
concerned with the remarks by the junior tourism minister, who clearly said,
that this is the time curvy women expose their beauty which then will attract
tourists to Uganda.
The then
say, the statements shocked them as women on reading such statement made by the
minister against them noting that the assertion is intrusive and an
infringement on the privacy and dignity of the bodies of women in Uganda. The
minister’s assertion demonstrates long held patriarchal beliefs that women are
commodities to be bought and sold.
Rita further
says, they are convinced, women have equal rights and dignity, noting that the
minister’s assertions contravene Article 33(6) of the constitution of Uganda which
requires that women are treated with dignity.
The women
further state that there is no doubt that women in Uganda have tremendously
contributed towards the social, economic and political spheres of this country at
all levels through their intellectual expertise.
The now
believe Uganda and the minister of tourism borrows a leaf from countries across
Africa that have successfully promoted tourism without objectifying women.
END