Uganda LAWA Fellow 1996-1997 B.L., Makerere University Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Law and Development Centre, Uganda L.L.M., Georgetown University Law Center

Profile:

Ms. Bitariho passed away in 2006. She had dedicated her life to working for women’s rights in Uganda, particularly in rural communities.

LAWA Experience:

Ms. Bitariho’s graduate thesis, “Reproductive Rights: The Uganda Perspective,” discussed the cultural and legal constraints that hinder Ugandan women from exercising their reproductive rights and developing a theory of reproductive rights from the language of the new Ugandan Constitution.

Ms. Bitariho completed her fellowship internship with the District of Columbia’s Legal Aid Society, focusing on comparative models for assisting low-income people with legal services. While interning, she developed a welfare reform outreach project for the Ethiopian community in Washington.

Additional Experience:

Ms. Bitariho began working as Secretary of the MBarara District Women’s Development Association 1988. Her main objectives included sensitizing women to their rights and enhancing their economic power. She also became involved early on in the Federation for Ugandan Female Lawyers (FIDA-U). She was, by 1995, the only female lawyer in active practice in the whole of the Mbarara district and dealt mainly with the legal rights of rural women. In addition, she was an associate at Butagira and Company Advocates, Mbarara chambers.

Following her fellowship, Ms. Bitariho returned to Uganda to work for the National Drug Authority. She subsequently worked as the Principal Revenue Officer.