The police, women leaders and community has hailed male change agents in the fight against domestic violence in Mbarara.
The change agents were this year recruited by the National Association of Women Action in Development (NAWAD) as role models and advocates in the fight against domestic violence.
In a community meeting that was organised by NAWADA at Katojo church of Uganda in Biharwe, Ms Patience Muramuzi, the executive director NAWAD said after a careful research and study they realized that men being at the center of increasing domestic violence, they needed to be recruited in fighting the vice than always condemning them.
She said after recruitment these men were trained in counseling and mediation roles, working with authorities like police and LCs in domestic related cases and economic empowerment of families among others. Muramuzi said they have so far recruited over 50 change agents in Biharwe but will stretch this recruitment to cover the whole of Mbarara district.
Mbarara Police Community Liaisons Officer Mr Davis Ziine said that since the recruitment of these people there has been a change in trend of domestic violence in communities noting that besides counseling, reconciling families, they have helped the victims to seek justice from authorities.
