Food security can be defined as adequate food available to all people at all times. Armed conflict and displacement cause unpredictable risk to food security as food production is disrupted making people starve because they lack means to acquire food. Food insecurity may arise as a result of environmental risks, drought, diseases-notably HIV/AIDs, market risk due to poor spatial arbitrage, poverty, gender based violence, conflict and displacement.

The conflict in northern Uganda has increased women’s vulnerability and strengthened social, cultural and personal factors that perpetuate Gender Based Violence. Violence against women has been evident in abductions, indiscriminate rape, maiming (some have had their lips cut off or limbs amputated), death and psychological torture mainly perpetrated by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). HIV/AIDs also remains a major problem in northern Uganda and is generally attributed to almost two decades of internal strife/conflict that has led to social and economic destabilization of the region

FAO and WOUGNET have commissioned an assessment on the impact of food insecurity, gender based violence, HIV/AIDs and transactional sex on people’s livelihoods in northern Uganda.

The overall aim of the assessment is to

1)     Identify the impact of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) on the livelihoods of people of humanitarian concern

2)     Define to what extent food insecurity influences the adoption of risky coping strategies such as Transactional Sex (TS) and how gender inequities heighten people’s vulnerability and exposure

3)     Contribute to the development of livelihoods and mitigation strategies at community and national level.

The study is being carried out particularly the districts of Gulu and Apac. Look out for the findings of the study.