Judge writes book on women after past error

KAMPALA.

The High Court judge David Batema has authored a book on gender discrimination in the justice system and confessed that the motivation to compile the publication was based on past error when he unfairly punished a woman who failed to show up for trial in court because of health reasons but had not presented medical forms to prove her sickness.

Justice Batema said he made the error in judgment when he was a Chief Magistrate in Mbale in 1999.

He said the woman from the Mt Elgon area had a case in court but did not show up in court because she was sick.
The judge said, that being insensitive to women issues at that time, he dismissed her case.

The judge made the revelations during the launch of his book ‘Gender Bench Book: Women’s Access to Justice in Uganda” at Hotel Protea in Kampala on Friday.

Justice Batema said later while the Inspector of Courts at the time Justice Ms Flavia Munaaba was on inspection in Mbale, she asked him why he had dismissed the woman’s case.

He said he explained to her that he dismissed the case due to lack of seriousness by the woman who claimed to have fallen sick but could not produce evidence by way of medical forms.

He recounted that Justice Munaaba told him that he had dismissed the case using “male perspective” and encouraged him to go for a course in women issues.

Mr Batema, now Soroti resident judge, said he went for several courses in women affairs which made him appreciate women issues and the new perspective on gender discrimination helped him write his book on women justice.

While launching the book, Chief Justice Bart Katureebe cited discrimination as one of the major impediments to women in accessing justice.

He said the book will guide judicial officers in addressing procedural issues that impede women’s access to justice.

“The value of the Bench Book is that it breaks down the complex and often abstract legal norms not only for judicial officers but also for legal practitioners. It assists the core users in overcoming latent gender stereotyping which normally locks the mind of judicial officers and impedes them from delivering gender-balanced decisions,” said Chief Justice Katureebe.

“The Bench Book should be viewed as an essential tool for the achievement of real access to justice on the part of women. When women are faced with situations of discrimination or violence, as they often are, their only recourse is law and justice agencies,” he added.

The book on women issues was sponsored by UN Women and outlines local and international practices on enhancing gender responsiveness by the judiciary to improve women access to justice.