Rise in GBV

the lockdown period. However, none of the vendors interviewed received the food distributed to vulnerable people by the government in 2020 or the cash bailout in 2021.

Women market vendors in Arua district expected the government to extend the food relief program that it launched in the central districts of Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono, to all the regions of the country. Unfortunately, their expectations were not met.

“For me, I thought, since they are going to close these markets down, the government was going to give us some things, like … food. Some of us watched it on the TV, where they were giving some food to people in Kampala. We thought that it was going to happen to our region too, but all in all, we found that these things never happened here in our region.”42

“We just heard cash was coming. They (local authorities) got our contacts, our names … nothing. We didn’t get that money (cash bailout). Even in this area (Driwala Market), I didn’t hear of somebody getting (the money).”43

In order to continue working, market vendors in Kampala City were forced by presidential directive to sleep in the markets, as they would not be allowed to return to the market if they left it. By May 2020 one and a half months after the presidential directive, the Ministry of Health had only delivered 160 mosquito nets out of the 500 needed by market vendors.44 Sleeping in the markets required women vendors to be separated from their families45 and exposed them to risks, such

42 Mercy Onzizuyo, market vendor, Awindiri Market, Arua City 43 Jane Akwero, market vendor, Driwala Market, Arua City 44 ‘Vendors ask for more nets during lockdown’ (Daily Monitor, 2020) https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/ news/national/vendors-ask-for-more-nets-duringlockdown-1888256 Accessed on July 20, 2022 45 ‘Vendors opt to sleep in markets, walk to work’ (Daily as, violence, sexual violence and harassment, contracting malaria or other negative health impacts from living without proper shelter. 46

Women market vendors in other districts were not required to sleep in the markets and did not receive mosquito nets. This meant that they had to walk long distances everyday, to their places of work.

“They had said vendors should sleep in the market. It wasn’t easy for us this side (Arua districts). We were seeing on TV they (Ministry of Health) were giving out mosquito nets. We never saw them. We never received them. So, when the government says we are giving to this category, let all of them receive.”47

However, the market vendors are grateful that the government did not completely close the markets, but set conditions for them to work, such as mandatory social distancing, which they tried to follow.

Rise in gender-based violence

The Uganda Police Force’s Annual Crime Report 2021 reported 17,533 cases of domestic violence throughout the country, for the period of January to December 2020. Women leaders in the vendors’ cooperatives felt compelled to offer advice to their fellow vendors who were stuck with violent spouses. In many cases, violence arose out of financial difficulties and food shortages caused by the Covid-19 restrictions.

Monitor, 2020) https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/ national/vendors-opt-to-sleep-in-markets-walk-towork-1882730 Accessed on 30 June 2022. 46 ‘Mukono vendors decline to sleep in markets citing family splits’ (The Independent, 2021) https://www.independent. co.ug/mukono-vendors-decline-to-sleep-in-marketsciting-family-splits/ Accessed on 30 June 2022. 47 Jane Akwero, market vendor, Driwala Market, Arua City