I am a human rights activist engaged in supporting reforms and interventions that promote and protect human rights of all people, in particular women and children. I currently work with the International Human Rights Network East Africa based in Kampala, Uganda; an organisation that supports other governments, non-governmental organisations, donors and United Nations agencies to integrate human rights based approaches in their work. I also serve on several boards and committees that work to uplift the status of women and I am currently the chairperson of the Federation for Uganda Women Lawyers (FIDA-U); an association that brings together over 300 women lawyers. Through FIDA-U we aspire to promote the human rights and dignity of women and children using the law as a tool for social change. I am deeply passionate about women’s human rights because of experiences as one of the millions of women on the African continent, right from the family unit through to the community and broader society. I believe in and subscribe to feminist ideology. Currently, I am working with several women leaders to reenergise the campaign on violence against women and to engage sexual and reproductive health rights issues in Uganda. At the regional level, I am working with academics and activists to review strategies to enhance access to justice for women in the traditional and formal justice systems. The biggest challenge in our activism as feminists has been the lack of a unifying vision as to what we want to achieve and see happen on the continent as African women. Feminists also continue to face stigma and isolation by family and wider society which challenges can be mitigated by increasing education opportunities and awareness raising so as to increase the understanding of fellow women and the rest of the community as to what we want to achieve and to demystify feminism. I often find that stigma is informed by ignorance and once people are informed and engaged with, they often appreciate and join the feminist cause. I continue to learn from the experiences of feminists gone by and those living today who push forward despite the almost insurmountable blockages and challenges faced daily. I am also inspired by my two children whose excitement with life infuses me with energy to continue the struggle for women’s total emancipation.
Allen Asimwe
Individual African feminists
I am a human rights activist engaged in supporting reforms and interventions that promote and protect human rights of all people, in particular women and children. I currently work with the International Human Rights Network East Africa based in Kampala, Uganda; an organisation that supports other governments, non-governmental organisations, donors and United Nations agencies to […]