The campaign is aimed at creating awareness about the problem of domestic violence and to bring about behaviour change. “Our programme runs all year round but the campaign is intensified during the four weeks of the Season of Advent, which precede the celebration of Christmas, the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Says the chairman of the Conference Most Rev. John Baptist Odama.
Most Rev. Odama who is also the Archbishop of Gulu who was giving a press statement in regards to National Campaign on Domestic Violence, an initiative launched by the conference in collaboration with the Irish Organizations Trocaire and Irish Aid said that starting on 30th November 2014, which is the first Sunday of Advent for this year, the conference shall have prayers for peace recited at all Catholic parishes and sub-parishes in Uganda.
The Archbishop encouraged Church leaders to preach against domestic violence in all its forms. “Families nationwide are also requested to pray for peace and be committed to individually taking responsibility to ending domestic violence,” he said.
The theme that has been chosen for this year's campaign is, "SHARED DECISIONS, SHARED DEVELOPMENT, SHARED HAPPINESS.” This is with the belief that families working together and praying together will be violence-free.
“Let us join our hands together to fight against the vice of domestic violence, so that our families and communities may truly be places where the dignity of every person is respected and where peace, joy, and love are experienced,” the Archbishop said.
The main campaign against domestic violence in Uganda by the Catholic Church has been going on since 2010. Elsewhere in the country, similar campaigns championed by civil society members have been going on in the country from as early as 2001.
Domestic violence is typically hidden in the private domain where it is kept as a shameful secret, forcing victims to suffer in silence. The campaign aims at creating awareness about the problem bringing about behaviour change.
Source: Fr. Philip Odii, National Executive Secretary for Social Communications UEC