Uganda’s High Court decision has won the People’s Choice Gavel award at the 2017 Gender Justice Uncovered Awards.
The awards that are organized and hosted by Women’s Link Worldwide, an international organization attempt to shed light on the positive and negative impacts court decisions have on the lives of women and girls around the world.The awards are meant to encourage and advance rights of women and girls.
Earlier this year in January, Hon. Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe ruled favor of a couple whose other twin went missing soon after delivery in Mulago hospital. Hon. Mugambe uled that it was due to the hospital’s negligence that resulted in the disappearance of the baby – subjecting the couple to psychological torture. She further ruled that the parents’ right to access to health information was also denied. As such she awarded the couple Shs. 85 million in compensation.
Inan online poll, Hon. Justice Mugambe’s decision garnered 3,829 votes to beat 17 other rulings that were nominated for the best judicial decision from all around the world.
“The court decision stood out because it recognized the need to not only address the human rights of the couple who were parties to the case but also the failure on the part of the state of Uganda to fulfill its obligation of the right to health”, said Lydia Muthiani, Women’s Link attorney.
According to Women’s Link, Justice Mugambe’s decision specifies that a woman’s inability to access sufficient antenatal care demonstrates a failure on the part of the State to fulfill its obligations under the right to health. It also points out that States also have an obligation to devote special attention and resources to women whose circumstances make them vulnerable and those who suffer from multiple forms of inequality.
Court also pointed to overburdened hospital staff which led to errors as another example of the failure to comply with obligations under the right to health.
Asocial justice advocacy organization, the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (Cehurd) and the parents of the child sued the attorney general and executive director of Mulago hospital for unlawful disappearance of their baby.
“We applaud the Judiciary for upholding health and human rights of Jennifer Musimenta and her husband Michael Mubangizi, at a time when they had no recourse for justice”, said Moses Mulumba executive director, Cehurd.
“This award comes at a crucial time (because) the ruling required the Uganda Police to make a report on the where about of this couple’s child within six months but we are yet to hear from them,” he added.
Other rulings from African courts that won awards include; the Tanzania’s High court that took the Bronze Gavel (court ruling with a positive effect on women and girls’ lives) for its ruling instructing the government to ban child marriages and set the legal age for marriage at 18 for both sexes.
The Golden Bludgeon (court ruling with a negative effect on women and girls’ lives) went to the High court of Kenya for its decision to acquit a man for carrying on a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl, on basis that girls often make false reports of non-consensual sex.
