Uganda is state party to international instruments that prohibit torture but has not adopted implementing legislation. The Constitution of Uganda in Article 24 also prohibits subjection of any person to any form of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Despite this, torture cases continue being received at ACTV and at the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), a national human rights institution mandated through an Act of Parliament to investigate and report all human rights abuses in Uganda. This is exacerbated by the fact that there is no specific crime of torture in Uganda. Both UHRC and ACTV annual reports indicate that a range of security organs has been responsible for torture in Uganda.

In the absence of national statistics, it is difficult to estimate the overall number of torture victims. However, suitable indicators for the scale of torture are the number of victims treated by ACTV (1145 in 2006) and of torture-related complaints submitted to the Ugandan Human Rights Commission (around 75% of which are commonly upheld by the Commission). In 2006 alone, the UHRC Annual Report shows that torture took up 22 percent of total human rights violations.  Since 1997, torture cases that UHRC has registered have followed the trend tabulated here below:

Annual Trends of Torture Cases Registered.


Years

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Total

VOTs

21

44

69

93

149

115

334

622

286

264

1997

Annual Totals

414

981

1265

1223

1227

812

2050

2294

1208

1222

12696

 Source: UHRC Annual Reports

Despite the many reasons perpetrators advance to torture individuals, torture survivors face a range of problems in being able to assert their rights. Many survivors are unaware of their rights. This is in addition to the physical and psychological sequelae that they suffer. Many perpetrators on the other hand are still ignorant of the international, regional and national laws prohibiting torture. ACTV, despite its limited resources organises sensitisation workshops for security forces in order to promote and protect human rights. Prisons are inspected and prison warders trained as well as providing treatment to the inmates who are torture victims.

Information materials sensitising the public about torture, its consequences and prevention are produced and distributed to stakeholders who play a preventive role in the community. Many torture victims live in communities that are often ignorant of their tribulations creating a need to sensitise them as well.

To carry out all this and achieve meaningful impact requires lots of networking with key stakeholders. In this regard ACTV, as host to the Coalition Against Torture (CAT) has valued contributions of all members of this local network as well as contributing to the wider international networks involved in the fight against torture. Among the recent efforts being made by ACTV as member of CAT is to start lobbying Government to advocate for a law that criminalises torture in Uganda as well as for the ratification and adoption of the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT).

The subsequent pages of this site indicate in greater detail the major activities of ACTV. Once again, I hope the information will be useful to you. Hopefully, you will also explore ways and means by which you too could participate in ensuring that all victims of torture are assisted and that torture is eventually eliminated from the face of this country, and hopefully around the world.

ALL THE LEGAL RIGHTS OF PUBLICATION TO THIS WEBSITE ARE RESERVED FOR ACTV UGANDA