Judicial officials trained on SGBV case management in Gulu

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The Judiciary Training Institute on Tuesday (March 3) conducted training for judicial officers and other justice sector stakeholders on the management of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases.

Participants included High Court judges, magistrates, defence lawyers, state prosecutors, court clerks and prison officers.

The training, held at the Gulu High Court Circuit in Gulu city, aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity in gender-responsive adjudication, effective handling of SGBV cases, management of child suspects, understanding key SGBV concepts and their interpretation, and applying gender-sensitive approaches in interpreting laws related to SGBV.

IDC Trial Judge, Suzan Okalany speaking to the New Vision about the training. (Photo by Jesse Johnson James)

Susan Okalany, a trial judge at the International Crimes Division of the High Court of Uganda and a trainer at the Judicial Training Institute, said the training was conducted ahead of a special SGBV court session scheduled to begin early next week.

The initiative is being implemented under the “Justice for Her” project with support from UN Women.

According to Justice Okalany, the training also addressed several challenges that have previously hindered the effective handling of SGBV cases in the courts.

“The other challenge is how to handle evidence of children in our court environment without re-traumatising the child, but also remain neutral enough to collect the required evidence to make a decision in favour of or against the prosecution,” she noted.

“The other challenge is incorrect translation, which most times happens, leading to poor case outcomes,” Justice Okalany added.

She urged participants to apply the knowledge gained to improve their capacity in managing SGBV cases.

The judicial officers undergoing SGBV case management training in Gulu. (Photo by Jesse Johnson James)

Meanwhile, George Obong, deputy registrar of the Gulu High Court Circuit, revealed that 40 SGBV cases have been cause-listed for hearing starting Monday next week, noting that all parties are prepared for the session.

The cases include defilement, rape and murder with gender elements, according to Obong.

He revealed that the Senior Resident Judge of Gulu, Justice Phillip Odoki, and Resident Judge Lillian Allum Omara will each handle 20 cases during the special session.

“Each judge is supposed to conclude 20 cases by May. We already listed the case…we already selected the advocates,” Odong disclosed, adding that, “we are set to start the hearing.”