Annet Nazziwa a 26-year-old resident of Bukyamuzi village in Butorogo Sub County in Mubende district. She said she got a partner when she was 16 years old shortly after she had dropped out of primary school. Nazziwa’s relationship was an unhappy one as her partner constantly beat her. “He mistreated me because I got two consecutive miscarriages. He alleged that my mother was responsible for my miscarriages.” Said, Annet Nazziwa – Victim of Domestic Violence. Nazziwa initially thought that her partner beat her because she had failed to conceive but she was surprised that even after being blessed by a son, the mistreatment continued. “He possessed evil spirits. Sometimes when we broke up, I would unconsciously be carried back to his home by the demons while naked.” She chose to break up with her partner and chose to go back to her parents with her son who was only four months old at the time.

One day in 2010 when Nazziwa was in the garden with her mother, her husband came to the home under the pretext of demanding for her son. He, however, attacked her with a panga and started cutting her severely. “He got the boy from me and put him aside. He cut off my hands, cut off my face and back until he thought I was dead.” With the help of women activists, legal action was taken against Nazziwa’s partner who was sentenced to seven years in prison. “In his defense while in court, he claimed he had not intended to cut me but he was under the influence of witches.” Nazziwa struggled to do daily activities and she was relying on her seven-year-old son to help with her work.

However, after serving his sentence, Nazziwa’s partner came and took away the boy leaving her helpless. “My son had grown up and was helping me to wash clothes and prepare food.” She got some financial aid in form of a loan from women activists called Women in Development of Concerns Coalition Mubende but she failed to service the loan after her investments failed. “I was given a loan of one million shillings. I bought a cow and it died. I also grew some crops but I never got my yields.” “She paid like 40,000 – 60,000 shillings back and that is all I remember. She has never revolved back the fund and when you revolve back the fund and you complete, we add you more money. If you do not revolve back your fund and complete, after six months we invite you.” Said, Lenny Kebirungi – Coordinator, WIDCCOM.

She said that the same organization had promised to build for her a house which they never did. She is currently living on a small piece of land in constant fear of being evicted because there are wrangles over it. “They had promised to build a house for me and had estimated 32 million shillings for this service.” “There was a recommendation that Nazziwa would be given/built a house if funds are availed but then the project ended. The other projects which came there was no such a promise and actually not even a promise but a recommendation.” Amidst these challenges, Nazziwa chose to get another partner who also abandoned her after having a son with him hence intensifying her misery. “I have given up on men and I am only going to serve God.” Nazziwa who is currently living isolated and helpless would like to move on but her physical disability and financial constraints cannot allow her to do so. “I plead to whoever can help to buy me a plot of land, build a house and start a retail shop to take care of myself and my children.”