This November the Ugandan parliament will consider three critical measures to enhance women’s rights: the Marriage and Divorce Bill, the Domestic Violence Bill and the Female Genital Mutilation Bill.

Chris Baryomunsi, a Member of Parliament and champion of women’s rights, told IPS that one the biggest challenges is in messaging. Traditional thinking follows that any gains in women’s rights will result in a loss of power for men.

One key strategy, therefore, is the involvement of men. Baryomunsi said, “Once male legislators are on board, it becomes easy for them to communicate to the rest of the men in the country. When we present this law (as one that is) good for us the leaders, then men in the community will definitely accept and know that it is good for them.”

In order to facilitate the passage of these measures, the Uganda Women’s Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) recently partnered with Uganda’s Ministry of Gender and the United Nations Development Fund to host a two-day workshop. Proponents of these initiatives hope to empower women’s rights advocates in their pursuit to win the support of male lawmakers.

Q&A: Women’s Empowerment: ‘Men Are Interested’- IPS