Women Market Vendors' Manifesto (Uganda) 2021-2026

HER VISIBLE SHAPING INFORMAL ECONOMY & POLICY

WOMEN MARKET VENDORS’ MANIFESTO

2021 - 2026

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PREFACE The Women Market Vendors’ Manifesto 2021 - 2026 is a political document that lays out critical issues of concern for women in the markets and makes demands for addressing them.

The Manifesto is a collectively developed set of demands that contribute to the achievement of gender equality, equity and sustainable national development. The process allowed women market vendors to articulate their concerns and aspirations for the 2021 general elections and beyond. The Manifesto provides political candidates with an agenda and would ensure political party accountability as they would ultimately be assessed on the basis of where they stand in relation to issues that concern women market vendors as outlined in the Women Market Vendors’ Manifesto 2021 - 2026.

The Women Market Vendors’ Manifesto is developed with the hope of enhancing the participation of women market vendors in political and public life. It is believed that the manifesto will aid in tackling barriers that continue to hamper the role and contribution of women market vendors within the national economy.

SIHA in consultation with eight (8) women market vendors’ cooperatives in Arua district embarked on the development of a Women Market Vendors’ Manifesto to address the issues not only in the market administration but also in public policy and political party structures and processes. Support for increased participation of women market vendors in political and civic leadership is an essential element in the design and implementation of SIHA’s programming.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network) recognizes the exceptional efforts by eight (8) women market vendors’ cooperatives in Arua district in the development of the Women Market Vendors’ Manifesto 2021 - 2026. The process of developing and popularizing the Manifesto is built on the experiences of the women market vendors’ cooperative unions namely: 1) Onzivu Women Market Vendors Cooperative; 2) Muni Women Market Vendors Cooperative; 3) Dadamu Women Market Vendors Cooperative; 4) Amani Women Market Vendors Cooperative, 5) Driwala Women Market Vendors United Cooperative; 6) Mvara Women Market Vendors Cooperative; 7) Ediofe Women Market Vendors Cooperative; and 8) Awindiri Women Market Vendors Cooperative based in Arua District.

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WOMEN MARKET VENDORS’ AFFIRMATION

We, women market vendors of diverse backgrounds, religions, occupations, ages, resource endowments, abilities, and challenges, Unhappy about the continuing economic decline and rising levels of poverty, Dismayed by the inability of our health care and social security systems to cope with the threat to life, life-expectancy levels, livelihoods, and national development, Alarmed by the unacceptably high incidence of maternal and infant mortality and deaths from inadequacies in reproductive health rights, facilities, and practices, Aggrieved by undemocratic political cultures and processes and the fact that although women constitute more than 51% of the population and make fundamental contributions to society, their voices are not sufficiently heard,Concerned by the inadequacies of the Republic of Uganda to honor its obligations under the 1995 Constitution, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and its commitments under the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and other international instruments to promote gender equality, Believing that the solutions to our deep seated crises lie with women and men across Uganda, harnessing and utilizing the resources at our disposal in an equitable manner, Acknowledging the contributions of women the world over and the efforts of Ugandan women and women’s rights organizations to improve their own lives and the development of their societies, Confident that with organization and fortitude we can make a difference to the situation of women,

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men, and children and achieve gender equality in all aspects of life, Determined to support self-reliant national development initiatives as a basis for effective political and economic change in Uganda, Convinced that a Women Market Vendors’ Manifesto which provides a common platform for action is necessary for effective advocacy for gender equality and national development, Hereby adopt this Women Market Vendors’ Manifesto as an affirmation of our commitment to collective action and as an agenda of minimum demands for action on gender equality and equity in Uganda.

WHO ARE THE WOMEN MARKET VENDORS?

At the core of their very being, women market vendors are women of faith who seek to promote the values and principles of their spiritual faith in all aspects of their lives. Their faith is the driving factor to reach their potential in life.

Women market vendors are diversely enterprising – managing a range of businesses including fresh farm produce (vegetables, fruits and perishable foods), cooked food, snacks; skilled work such as tailoring, making liquid soap, hairdressing, and crafts; animal farming in poultry, fishing, piggery and crop farming in cassava, potatoes, sim sims, millet, soya, beans, ground nuts and hibiscus; honey processing; retail trade in clothes, shoes and general merchandise; and value addition to produce including wine making; tree seedlings; charcoal and firewood; events management; catering services; baking; and mobile money services.

The welfare of their families is of the utmost priority and the primary source of motivation for their engagement in market vending as a source of income. They have the interests of the community

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at heart and are always seeking to solve problems in their localities including child and teenage pregnancies and domestic violence, among others. Women market vendors are activists by nature, advocating for change in their societies.

Women market vendors find pride in their businesses and are teachable – always seeking to learn new skills and get new information to improve their businesses. They serve as mentors for young women in the communities seeking to engage in business. They love fellow women and believe in collective action and organizing as a means to achieving change.

The women market vendors are exemplary leaders at different levels in their communities. They promote good governance, accountability, integrity, zero tolerance to corruption, and servant leadership. They have served as desirable peacemakers in their communities.

Women market vendors are also fun loving, joy filled, adventure seeking women, who want to live their lives to the fullest. The women market vendors are a symbol of self-reliance, women’s empowerment, and gender equality. The market has given them a platform for earning an income, enabled them to be a contributing agent and decision maker in the family.

Most of the women market vendors started vending in the prime of their youth (16 - 25 years old) and have managed vending businesses for different periods ranging from 1 to 30 years. Different experiences and factors led them to markets vending including the need to improve family life, the promise of business interests, poverty, survival, advice from friends, being widowed, limited education, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

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INTRODUCTION

As the global community marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing +25), ten years since the establishment of UN Women, twenty years since the landmark UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security, and five years of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs +5), the moment is right to achieve irreversible and measurable progress toward this universal commitment to all women and girls, everywhere. The significance of gender equality and women’s empowerment have been further encompassed in Agenda 2063, Africa’s framework for sustainable development, whose aspiration is “An Africa where development is people-driven, unleashing the potential of women and youth”.

Many small-scale traders in Uganda are market traders; women represent more than 90% of vendors in fresh food markets across the country. Their roles often go unrecognized, however, resulting in many challenges, even though they manage entire value chains, from production to sales. Moreover, they are poorly represented in decision-making within the market spaces, as market managers tend to be men. This is a major concern, given that informality implies low remuneration, poor working conditions, and lack of or limited access to social protection and rights at work.

Women are at the forefront of informal cross-border trade as a source of income and employment and it is estimated that up to 70% of informal cross-border traders in Africa are women. For many women in rural areas near borders, informal cross-border trade is often the only source of income available. This is because of restrictive regulatory and legal environments, coupled with social and structural factors that leave many women without the skills or capital to enter formal employment. Across rural and urban lines, women disproportionately work in the precarious and at times dangerous informal sector due to a combination of factors including a lack of alternative job opportunities and poverty, influenced by gender disparities in access to resources like land, socio-cultural norms and harmful traditional practices like early marriage and, the burden of unpaid care work. There is also a mismatch between policy and practice.

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Women market vendors face increased risks of violence and harassment which are further exacerbated by the presence of poor infrastructure, limited sanitary facilities, a lack of street lighting, or unsafe neighborhoods. Unsafe public transport increases their vulnerability when travelling home and dangerous working conditions, gendered violence, and increased susceptibility to HIV/AIDS has affected their meaningful contribution to the economy and national development. In addition, women market vendors face difficulties in securing permanent stalls and have inadequate bargaining power to control the price of production, coupled with low education levels and a general lack of financial support.

The laws and policies related to women market vendors are typically gender blind or do not proactively support women’s empowerment. They mostly outline general rules related to market opportunities, registration, infrastructure and designated market areas. These apply equally to both men and women, with no assurance of women being represented in market management committees. The current COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges faced by women market vendors from economic hardships to abuse during the lockdown.

The process of developing and promoting the Manifesto also built upon the experiences of women market vendors, which ensures the manifesto is owned by a broad constituency. The Manifesto therefore provides a platform of a collective set of demands that contribute to the achievement of gender equality and equity as well as Agenda 2063. It allows women market vendors to articulate their concerns and to inform policies, institutional processes, and intersectional programs and measures.

These demands will contribute to the ability of girls and young women to participate actively, equally, and effectively at all levels of social, educational, economic, political, cultural, and civic life and leadership.

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THEMATIC CALL TO ACTION

Economic empowerment gets substituted for political empowerment around the world, according to Cronin-Furman. It has been argued that economic empowerment should not be seen as detached from creating political agency and the Women Market Vendors’ Manifesto incorporates this perspective in seeking to build economic and political agency. The Manifesto will serve as an advocacy tool to advance inclusive policies (of women and girls) as an essential piece of any economic effort.

The Women Market Vendors’ Manifesto seeks to negotiate for decent working conditions and the development of more fair, more transparent informal economy governance. The manifesto seeks to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development with effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels of participatory governance. Further still, the manifesto will promote creative and constructive engagement between women market vendors and governance stakeholders.

Some of the key priorities raised by women market vendors through the consultative manifestodevelopment process, were the need for increased access to clean water and toilets, better waste management, and strengthened marketplace management and governance. Women vendors also described a host of safety issues (including sexual harassment and theft), both in their journeys to and from the market, but also whilst trading or sleeping (especially during the COVID19 lockdown) in the marketplace. Irregular and expensive transport to and from markets was also regularly raised by women.

Therefore, the thematic areas to follow have been separated into the following categories; economic agency and justice, violence against women in markets, inclusive, equitable and quality education, development and infrastructure, leadership and good governance, and health, safety, and security.

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ECONOMIC AGENCY AND JUSTICE

Women’s economic empowerment has been defined as the transformative process by which women and girls go from having limited power, voice, and choice at home and in the economy to having the skills, resources, and opportunities needed to access and compete equitably in markets and the agency to control and benefit from economic gains. The conventional definitions of the economy do not include a major proportion of the work performed by women. The key (most profitable) sectors of the Ugandan economy are still occupied and dominated by men.

Women market vendors face social, economic and ideological barriers to full and equal participation in the economy. Women are perceived in terms of their domestic and reproductive role. Women participate in large numbers in sectors of the economy which are characterized by low wages and poor working conditions. Low remuneration is worsened by discrimination against women in the receipt of social benefits. As a result, many women are forced to make a living outside the formal economy.

The women vendors are also affected by inflation and market competition, and lack of access to finance, and unfavourable terms of credit (from informal money lenders). Furthermore, market vendors obtain a license for which they pay fees, and pay value added taxes on the goods they procure, also contributing to local government and national government revenues. Women vendors are at higher risk of being subjected to police harassment, demands for bribes, street violence, and similar forms of abuse. In addition, women market vendors are subject to strong seasonality/weather effects, especially those who sell fresh produce. Different products are available at different prices throughout the year, which makes their sales, costs and profits highly volatile. Profit from sales is spent on paying for survival needs such as food, transport, utilities or paying for children’s education, and the principal is re-invested in the enterprise.

Women informal cross-border traders are encouraged by the higher profit margins that they get when they sell their products across the border. For example, women informal cross-border traders that trade

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in bananas (matooke) buy a bunch at approximately UGX 10,000 and in South Sudan will sell the same bunch at almost thrice the buying price.

We, women market vendors demand: 1. Increased access to financial services for women market vendors to meaningfully participate in and benefit from the monetary economy. Incentives need to be created and supported to enable women market vendors to save regularly. Options for financial institutions to offer basic accounts that do not attract account keeping fees and minimum transaction costs to women and other excluded groups will increase account opening and usage. Providing financial services in convenient locations for women/customers will reduce banking times – this could include engaging agents using mobile technology for banking.

2.

Institute legal mechanisms to protect women against unfair, monopolistic, and other exploitative business practices that affect women’s participation in the informal economy.

Including standardization of taxes, licenses, and fees across the markets.

3.

Seek out women’s voices in marketplace planning, management, governance, and recommendations for policymakers to engage women market vendors more meaningfully in the national economy.

4.

Improve road infrastructure for ease of transportation of goods to the different markets.

5.

Government and private sector should develop more spacious markets to accommodate the large number of vendors.

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6.

Support cross-border trade to generate significant rural non-farm income and become a catalyst for value chain creation and support in rural areas. This benefit, in turn, can lower rural unemployment and slow rural-urban migration, while empowering women. Informal crossborder trade can turn into a vibrant micro-entrepreneurial reality with significant potential to help alleviate poverty, contribute to food security, and empower women.

7.

Improve access to information on border-related processes and procedures. Many women informal cross-border traders were exposed to exploitation because they were unaware of the East African Community and COMESA tariff exemption for goods under $2,000 USD. The government should consider setting up functional Trade Information Desks (TIDs) where traders can access real-time information with regard to markets, prices, and documents-processing at border posts. TIDs could ease and lower the cost of doing business. The Government should also publicize official fees, duties, and taxes that apply to informal cross-border traders.

8.

Strengthen formal grievance procedures by establishing more accessible mechanisms through which women informal cross-border traders can appeal customs decisions and report cases of bribery and harassment. The establishment of these mechanisms will not only improve the level of interactions between border officials and women traders, but also promote trust in the business environment.

WOMEN MARKET VENDORS’ MANIFESTO

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN MARKETS

Violence against women and girls (in all its forms) is on the rise in Uganda, despite the presence of laws and policies to protect victims and survivors. Physical, sexual, psychological, and economic violence has thrived in markets due to an absence of proper market legislations and a lack of investigative practice and expertise among Ugandan law enforcement officers. Women experience secondary victimization at all stages of the criminal justice system. As a result, female market vendors frequently pay cash for “protection,” if they can afford it. Many women vendors who might wish to pursue legal action, cannot afford the police and court fees.

Women remain in the periphery with limited access to productive resources. As a result, they are subjected to different types of social and economic exclusions. The informal economy is characterized by low or lack of access to and coverage by social protection and labor rights, and often poor and hazardous working conditions. Vibrant and safe marketplaces have the potential to bring important economic benefits to communities, especially for women, who are often the most active as traders.

Women informal cross-border traders who cross the borders using illegal routes are therefore at a huge risk of being arrested, killed, kidnapped for ransom or harmed. Moreover, the security situation in both South Sudan and DRC remains potentially volatile with sporadic reports of fighting between armed groups and government forces.

The prevalence of physical and sexual harassment is higher among women informal cross-border traders compared to their male counterparts. It was also observed that the majority of customs officials and police who guard the border checkpoints are men. Sexual harassment has a negative effect on the mental and physical health of the women traders and may expose them to HIV/AIDS or other conditions that could negatively impact their quality of life. The harassment has also led some women to stop or reduce their border crossings, affecting their financial stability. There is a need for duty bearers to address this harassment and to end perpetrator impunity.

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We, women market vendors demand; 1. Increased public safety for women in marketplaces through infrastructure and council policy improvements, as well as through support to women vendor associations in advocating for better services at the market, including toilets, lighting, and police protection.

2.

Increased political will to invest in the prevention of violence against women and girls at all levels (market, district, national and communities).

3.

Institutionalization of access to justice and legal mechanisms at the market premises. Facilities staffed by trained personnel where women can report cases of rape, battery, and sexual assault, undergo medical examination, and receive appropriate treatment and counseling.

4.

Establishment of police posts including sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) desks within the markets.

5.

Passage of bylaws on defilement/rape and child marriages to curb the spread of these rights violations.

6.

Sensitization of women vendors about the different forms of SGBV, so that they are better equipped report.

7.

Promotion among women vendors to join groups, e.g. cooperatives, to strengthen the advocacy power of their voices in speaking against VAW/G.

8.

Recruitment of female customs officials and police officers at the border points to safeguard the interests of women cross-border traders.

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9.

Implementation of increased penalties for SGBV as a deterrent mechanism.

10. Institutionalization of effective social protection measures as strong tools to empower and emancipate women market vendors to change working conditions for good, and sustainably ensure better business opportunities and living standards in the future.

11. Strengthened linkages between policy and practice through enforcement of existing policies that address gender-based violence and corruption. Officials who violate policies need to be held accountable. Furthermore, policies should be informed by empirical data. The government should strengthen mechanisms for collecting gender disaggregated data on informal cross-border trade so that the interests and concerns of women traders are taken into consideration.

12. Implementation of evidence-based advocacy on the issues affecting women informal crossborder traders, especially violence, exploitation, and harassment.

13.

INCLUSIVE, EQUITABLE AND QUALITY EDUCATION

Women market vendors typically have little formal education, and the large majority live in households with income only from informal employment and where vending is the main source of income, they are also bread winners for their families and bear most of the financial burden. Education is a catalyst for financial inclusion as it enables people to read, but with low levels of education women lack literacy skills to read and write well.

Education and training policy has historically focused on schooling, higher education, and vocational training in the workplace. It has been male-oriented, inaccessible, and at times, inappropriate. It has ignored women’s needs and experience. Education and training is a continuous lifelong process.

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Education includes educare, adult basic and continuing education, primary, secondary, and tertiary education, and vocational training for the formal and informal economy. Education and training must meet the economic, social, cultural and political needs of women in Uganda.

Women informal cross-border traders are often exploited by customs officials, the police, and middlemen because they are not aware of existing customs and trade regulations and the majority lack education or are educated to low levels. Moreover, many of the trade regulations are not translated into local languages.

We, women market vendors demand; 1. Increased level of women and girls’ educational attainment as a contribution to women’s economic empowerment and more inclusive economic growth.

2.

Implementation of targeted skills trainings and other financial entrepreneurship support to unlock income opportunities for women market vendors, including education, upskilling, and re-skilling over the life course – especially to keep pace with rapid technological and digital transformations affecting the economy.

3.

Governmental provision of free, functional adult literacy classes to women in the informal sector.

4.

Provision of specialized skills training for women and girls with disabilities.

5.

Establishment of programs to allow and support teenage mothers to return to school.

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Transport is particularly important for market vendors, who commute to markets on a regular basis. Safe public transport and lighting can have a significant positive impact on women, particularly those who work outside the home late at night. The cities in Uganda (not unlike many those in many developing countries) are characterized by squatter settlements, shanty towns, a poor supply of basic amenities, rapid environmental degradation, traffic jams, violence, crime, and an urban sprawl that eats into the countryside.

Women engage in informal cross-border trade due to a lack of alternative job opportunities.

Respondents blamed the legacy of the Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency in parts of Northern Uganda, especially in Gulu, Kitgum, and Pader districts, for their lack of job opportunities. The insurgency, which lasted over 20 years, resulted in the immense loss of life, destruction of property and the displacement of tens of thousands of people. The conflict also resulted in reduced access to social services and paralyzed economic activities.

The majority of women have been denied access to the full range of basic development resources and services necessary to sustain a healthy and productive life. Rural women and informal settlement residents in particular have been denied vital resources. The gradual destruction of the natural environment, soil erosion, deforestation, and air pollution increases the risks involved in women’s household, agricultural, and community work responsibilities. Women should participate in designing and implementing development programmes to meet their needs.

The internet is often not mentioned as a source of information among market vendors, possibly as a result of the high cost of phones with internet connectivity. The gender digital divide is even greater for women market vendors.

We, women market vendors demand; W O M E N M A R K E T V E N D O R S ’ M A N I F E S T O 19

Expanded public transport and other low cost transport solutions that ensure transport infrastructure is accessible, safe, and affordable, in order to increase physical mobility for women informal workers. This creates greater opportunities for higher paid work and business expansion and connects women to larger markets.

Provision of adequate services such as communications and electricity or other appropriate sources of energy must be extended to all communities as a matter of priority.

3Increased accessibility, availability, and affordability of clean and safe water supplies and sanitation for the markets and all communities, including those in rural areas and informal settlements.

Establishment of equal access to land and security of tenure for women market vendors, including women living under customary law.

Involvement of women market vendors in the planning of infrastructural development of markets and inclusion of child care spaces in the markets.

Effective implementation and monitoring of development projects targeting women market vendors towards the alleviation of poverty.

Construction of more markets to cater for the limited stalls currently available in markets and take services nearer to the communities, i.e. markets constructed at community level.

Increased availability of opportunities for women market vendors to participate as official vendors (service providers) and employees in infrastructure projects.

Facilitation of exchange visits to other bigger markets in cities for learning purposes.

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Re-design of markets to make them accessible and inclusive for persons with disabilities.

Improvement of the affordability, availability, and accessibility of Information and Communication Tools (ICTs) for women market vendors through digital training and provision of devices.

Incorporation of information and communication technologies (ICT) into border operations and informal cross-border trade. Automated customs and immigration forms as well as cell phone messaging with up-to-date information on regulations, prices, and other data, may be helpful in facilitating trade.

Improvement of border infrastructure and the access to basic facilities including storage, sanitation, and transport.

Increased awareness of the burden of unpaid care work, and advocacy for policies that favor burden sharing, provision of childcare services, and changes in cultural norms that traditionally only assign domestic work to women. This will free up women’s time to fully engage in paid employment.

LEADERSHIP AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Women dominate markets, but more often than not have little say in the management of these markets. The segregation of women market vendors from market politics has caused a wider exclusion from economic life in the market setting. Given the nature of the gender specific problems women market vendors face in seeking political and administrative leadership positions, solutions must be found to support women market vendors’ specific needs and concerns to open up the space for them to participate in public affairs.

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The nature of the electoral system has often not been promising to women market vendors vying for political and administrative leadership positions, including the lack of protections against electoral violence. Relatedly, the women market vendors have not been able to exploit women’s voting power and numerical strength due to lack of material and financial resources, ignorance, and illiteracy.

Women’s participation in decision-making processes will go a long way in enabling women to assert their right to engage in income-generating economic activities. Support for increased participation of women market vendors in political and civic leadership is an essential element in the design and implementation of all economic and development programs for the informal and formal sector.

Women have continued to be systematically side-lined in peacemaking, transitional justice and peacebuilding processes, even though the importance of comprehensive inclusion and involvement of women in peace and security for post-conflict societies has been adopted by UNSCR 1325.

Bureaucracy, harassment, and frequent solicitation of bribes by customs officials and police, were cited by women traders as some of the reasons why women engage in informal cross-border trade as opposed to formal cross-border trade. Women informal cross-border traders face a myriad of challenges including long delays that make their experiences unique compared to male traders. In order to circumvent the existing barriers at border points, some women informal cross-border traders reported that they use porous borders or unofficial routes to access markets. Customs officials and the police are much more likely to ask women cross-border traders for bribes at check points compared to male traders because women are perceived to have a low bargaining power.

We, women market vendors demand; 1. Facilitation of women market vendors’ collective voice and influence in local planning and budgeting for effective implementation of the law, projects, and programs.

2. Provision of regular skills enhancement in leadership and good governance for women market vendors.

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3.

Gender sensitive legislation that offers legal recognition and rights to informal workers through the ratification of the ILO Convention on Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) and implementation of other ILO Conventions pertinent to women informal workers such as the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), ILO Homework Convention, 1996 (No. 177).

4.

Promotion of accountability and transparency from market leadership including regular meetings to facilitate proper management of markets.

5.

Inclusion of persons with disability in leadership positions.

6.

Institutionalization of women market vendors’ participation in peacebuilding efforts, processes, mediations, and negotiations with documentation of their contribution.

7.

Translation of trade policies and border procedures into local languages and dissemination through posters, brochures, and flyers at border points.

8.

Creation and strengthening of women informal cross-border traders associations as a means for traders to access more information, finance, training opportunities, better manage their businesses, and strengthen their bargaining power.

9.

Commission of research on women informal cross-border traders at all border points to document the experiences of women traders so as to inform policy makers about their experiences, challenges, and risks.

HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY W O M E N M A R K E T V E N D O R S ’ M A N I F E S T O 23

Awareness of diseases and the need to seek health care exists, but market vendors are not well informed on tests and care. The informal economy is characterized by precarious conditions of work and life involving an extensive workload, very low pay and no guarantee of access to basic social and labor rights. When women market vendors fall ill or are injured, they are not entitled to paid leave to deal with their health issues. Women’s safety and health were also affected by inadequate storage facilities and a lack of running water and clean toilets. In many cases, women market vendors also keep caring for children, spouses, and housework, resulting in an overload of stress on their physical and mental health.

Women with disabilities who are often socially disadvantaged are further disadvantaged by increased exposure and vulnerability to health risks as a result of poor or dangerous environmental conditions and increased difficulties in accessing health services. In order to continue operating in such a poorly coordinated environment, some women market vendors are pushed to give bribe in the form of cash, goods, sexual favors. This is detrimental to women’s health, especially with the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and STI infections, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and drug abuse.

The scarcity of food supplies across the DRC and South Sudan borders has encouraged Ugandan women in border areas to participate in informal cross-border trade. It should be noted that both South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo face food shortages that threaten the lives of many families.

Market vendors in all East African countries have been identified as crucial workers whose activities provided lifesaving support during the COVID-19 lockdown across the region, through access to essential commodities like food, mobile money, etc. The continued activities of the market vendors during the lockdown has placed them at a greater risk because they continue to interact with many people from the general public.

We, women market vendors demand;

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1.

Governmental provision (including district local governments and city councils) of affordable and quality health services, in which sexual and reproductive health is prioritized.

2.

Adherence to labor standards and health and safety regulations that include violence against women and girls considerations.

3.

Provision of healthcare outreach programs to women market vendors.

4.

Formation of health committees in the markets, or appointment of health focal persons to forward health concerns to market leadership.

5.

Increased assistance for market vendors to ensure they can follow guidelines to prevent the spread of outbreaks such as COVID-19.

6.

Provision of accurate, up-t-o-date information on threats to the health and safety of women market vendors (such as the COVID-19 pandemic). Knowledge is crucial in shaping people’s behavior and practices especially during any disease outbreak. Possible sources of information available to the market vendors across Uganda include; friends, radios, televisions, social media, newspapers

7.

Provision of emergency relief packages to women informal cross-border traders affected by border closures occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. These could be in the form of living allowances and food.

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About SIHA Network The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network) is a network of civil society organizations from Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Somaliland, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Uganda, and Kenya. SIHA Network was established in 1995 by a coalition of women’s rights activists, as a regional network to undertake research, capacity-building, exchanging experiences and lessons learned, negotiating spaces with men all to build advocacy on women’s rights as a sustainable force for change.

SIHA envisions women and girls in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHoA) with the right to live in a peaceful, just environment and the ability to exercise their equal rights as human beings.

As a sub-regional network of women’s human rights and gender equality activists, SIHA is in a unique position to move this vision forward as one of very few indigenous coalitions born and nurtured inside the Horn. Strong ties and connections with women and their communities drive SIHA’s work across the region. After more than 20 years of working to advance women’s human rights in highly patriarchal contexts frequently characterized by insecurity, SIHA’s expertise is rooted in its familiarity with the sociopolitical situations around the Horn and the grassroots work of its members. SIHA’s membership continues to grow steadily, evidencing SIHA’s enduring relevance and effectiveness, and the ongoing urgency of advancing women’s human rights in the region.

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THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVE FOR WOMEN IN THE HORN OF AFRICA (SIHA) Plot 2A Lugogo Lane - Bank Village, Naguru P.O. Box 2793, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256-200-906263 Email: sihahornofafrica@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SIHANetwork

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