MAKE MODERN NOISE: A Fashion Campaign  To Advocate For Survivors  Of Gender Based Violence

Karenhappuch Ibiara Oculi is an image Consultant & fashion stylist based in London & Kampala. She has worked as a style consultant for Phase Eight in Cambridge, Nicola Formichetti, Sharon Wauchobb and Ashish at London Fashion week and a young activist for the rights of Voiceless female victims of Gender Based Violence in Uganda; her  passion is to empower young women enjoy their rights, receive justice and live equality and better life in the society they live in.

Ibiara is organizing a fashion show in partnership with Beauty 4Ashes Uganda to raise awareness about the positive role that Society can play in empowering young women demand their rights to gender equality; protection against sexual harassment; domestic violence  on September 1^st, 2018, at Course View Towers, Plot 21 Yusuf Lule Rd, alongside BRENDA MARAKA, EGUANA Kampala, Karen Bugingo a Rwandan author of “MY NAME IS LIFE”, Hope Bigumira a Ugandan author of “NO MAKEUP ON” and Margaret. M. Opolot, a former UN administrator and author of “THROUGH THE FIRE.”

 Ibiara has picked interest in the case of gender-based violence because it affects many, particularly women. It disenfranchises their basic rights; destroys families, weakens the fabric of our society, and takes a heavy toll on our communities and our economy. Women, especially girls who continue to experience sexual violence are never getting the justice they deserve.

“In Uganda, 35% of females and 17% males experience sexual violence while 59% females experience physical violence by the age of 24 years.  For many youths, the first experience of sexual intercourse is physically forced with girls facing particularly higher risks of sexual violence with devastating consequences. 53% females have told someone and yet only 10% have sought services while only 8% of them received the services.” – Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. Violence against Children in Uganda: Findings from a National Survey, 2005. Kampala, Uganda:NICEF, 2015.

“Worldwide, 1 in 3 women and girls will experience violence or abuse in their lifetime. We believe that women taking control and taking collective action are the most important drivers of sustained improvements in women’s rights and are a powerful force to end poverty not only for women and girls, but for others too. Achieving gender justice is not only a matter of basic rights. It’s also a key means of achieving fairer societies and overcoming poverty. And we all have an equal part to play in making it happen”– Oxfam International Gender Justice and Women’s Rights, 2018 .

Ibiara hopes that  her  invite only event will serve as a voice  for the survivors and a safe space for their stories, and that they will be encouraged and inspired to walk away from situations not as victims but as survivors! If you would like to be apart of this please RSVP

Florence Kakatshozi

+256750608896

+250 785322130 – WhatsApp

Karenhappuch Ibiara

+256781497139

WhatsApp +447521713442