JLOS Bulletin: Special Edition on SGBV Interventions

Implementation of the Special Sessions
The ICGLR Protocol establishes several procedural protections for victims of sexual violence in Article 6, including victim-sensitive measures for the prosecution of perpetrators, assistance with the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims, and sensitizing criminal justice officials in handling sexual violence cases. The special sessions were designed to advance a system-wide, integrated, multi-institutional programming approach, providing a structured framework for current and future specialized initiatives rooted in validated practice, fiscal responsibility, and engagement with all stakeholders in the criminal justice chain, including development partners and non-state actors.

The overall focus of the project was to reduce the case backlog by addressing aspects of the victim’s experience in the justice system, strengthening system efficacy, and prioritizing gender-sensitive, victim-friendly, and trauma-informed services across the justice chain.

The special sessions were meant to produce five key results:

• Reduction in backlog of registered cases and turnaround time in the finalization of SGBV cases.
• Documentation of good practices in the management of SGBV cases.
• Reduction and ultimately elimination of secondary trauma and victimization resulting from contact with the justice system.
• Building the capacity of actors in the chain of justice in case management.
• Overall improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of SGBV cases.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has since advanced over UGX 8 billion since the commencement of the sessions in 2018. So far, the funding has facilitated special sessions in 25 High Courts and 18 chief magistrates’ courts throughout the country.

Key activities in the project

• Compilation of a compendium of best practices in the management of SGBV cases
• Conducting a one-day joint pre-session training of all stakeholders using the compendium and other sources
• Media and communication outreach
• Holding the sessions at selected courts across the country
• Collection of victim impact statements by probation and social welfare officers
• Monitoring and evaluation by the task force and institutional representatives
• Post-session and project review meetings to provide feedback on project implementation.
• Support for the completion of investigations and awareness creation on sexual and reproductive health rights by the CID
• Documentation of good practices arising from the project
• Capacity building of actors in forensic and scientific management of crime

Achievements

• Fast tracking the disposal of over 3,000 SGBV cases and attaining a conviction rate of 80% from a 60% rate at the commencement of the special sessions.
• Heightened awareness for equity in justice dispensation through the insistence on the 25% exception on the FIFO (First in First Out) rule for the vulnerable – mothers with children, Persons With Disabilities, the aged, and those infected with HIV/AIDS
• Adoption of a trauma-informed approach for all, including the officers who dispense justice.
• Intentional focus on preliminary hearings as provided for under S.66 TIA to do away with procedural hindrances through reducing unnecessary technicalities.
• Re-organization of workspaces to improve the survivor experience of the justice system – minimize distress and further traumatization to users. Special rooms have been set up at ODPP offices, at courts, and CID headquarters that provide a suitable environment for survivors and witnesses to relay their stories.
• Streamlining of cause-listing procedures through improved inter-institutional collaboration, which has ultimately led to better case outcomes. During each session, the Principal Judge has provided strategic guidance through circulars to govern the conduct of sessions. The circular serves to establish clear procedures, roles, and responsibilities for each actor involved in responding to gender-based violence, as well as to clarify objectives, standardize operations, and establish the framework for accountability.
• Regular monitoring and support supervision at the institutional and sector levels
• Increased uptake of victim impact statements to inform sentencing.
• High turnout of witnesses through targeted resourcing of the office of the ODPP
• Sustained and concerted awareness creation activities
• Increased uptake and better case outcomes using the anatomically detailed dolls
• Documentation of good practices to create uniformity, coherence, and better coordination.
• Strengthened the holistic and inclusive institutional capacity of JLOS actors to manage SGBV cases.

Ongoing interventions and areas for improvement

1. Quality of investigation through recruitment to plug in the personnel gap, addressing skills, tools, response time, and attitudes.
2. Clarity on the definition of SGBV crimes
3. Training of interpretation and sign language services and working with non-state actors to provide the services.
4. Continuous weeding out of cases to curtail backlog and wastage of resources.
5. Strengthening the Probation function to provide the much-needed psychosocial support and referral services.
6. Strengthening e-justice services through, among others, upscaling the usage of remote services and virtual courts, such as telephone and video hearings, in the dispensation of justice
7. Legal and policy reform to encompass preventive, educational, social, and medical aspects, after-care services for actors.
8. Data management and systems integration – information on SGBV is collected at health centers and safety shelters, which are run by CSOs and justice actors, but these different data collection systems have no point of integration, which makes it hard to adequately know, plan for, and resource SGBV case management initiatives.
9. Alignment of human resources through synchronized recruitment of Police officers, State Attorneys, probation officers, and judicial officers.
10. Strengthening exhibit management through adequate facilities and standards.
11. Fast-tracking case disposal across the whole chain of justice to improve witness turnover, avoid loss of interest in cases by witnesses, and build confidence in the justice system, which is undermined by delays.
12. Promoting innovative methods and justice system activism through programmes like plea bargain sessions, reconciliation, and other protective measures.
13. Establishing and strengthening safe spaces to facilitate secure and victim-friendly environments for gathering information on SGBV incidents across the Police, ODPP, and the courts.
14. Strengthening scientific management of crime through recruitment of forensic experts, tooling and equipment, and provision of consumables to enable timely processing and analysis of crime scenes and samples.
15. Interpretation services, especially in refugee areas. 
16. Development of a comprehensive strategy for the management of SGBV cases.

In conclusion, the implementation of the special sessions, including the experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, was valuable in highlighting and increasing the uptake of e-justice platforms. Innovations have since emerged, while others were strengthened. For example, apps like PULIDA WO, SGBV Apps for awareness and response, and the SGBV Helpline at UPF (enhancing Sauti 116) were all very useful in ensuring that people could still report instances of SGBV and receive timely responses or intervention. It is hoped that all the interventions will be strengthened to boost access to justice for all.