Sexual abuse is never contained to a present moment; it lingers across a person’s lifetime and has pervasive long-term ramifications….Lorraine Nilon.
It’s an overwhelming act that violates the rights of children. Sexual abuse involves sexual actions like touching the sexual parts of either a boy or girl child and going beyond to the point of penetration into their bodies without their consent.
Sexual abuse in Uganda.
In Uganda, this is very rampant and happens almost every day. Innocent children are abused either by strangers or their close relatives like uncles, aunts, and sometimes their parents.
According to the Ministry of gender, labor, and social development, there are reported cases of 35.3% of girls and 16.5% boys who are sexually abused daily which violates the rights and wellbeing of children in Uganda.
Despite the government efforts to stop sexual abuses in Uganda, it’s still very rampant. This can be attributed to several factors like high rates of immorality. People don’t have values and respect for human beings and cultures.
Sexual abuse on poverty.
Not undermining the issue of poverty. When it comes to Uganda, poverty accounts highly for sexual abuses, attribute this to the small houses that accommodate over ten (10) people per house, these children cannot survive.
Unless the government fights against drug abuse, sexual abuse cannot end. Many innocent children in Uganda are abused by drug users under the influence of different drugs like cocaine, marijuana, alcohol.
Additionally, the weak police policy and procedure of handling these cases deeply accounts for the high cases of sexual abuse in Uganda. The police take a lot of time investigating cases and sometimes they release the criminals before being punished.
Parents
Not ignoring the neglect of children by their parents. Parents in Uganda are leaving their children in the hands of merciful people as they claim that they have to work. This has exposed many innocent children to defilement, homosexuality, and other forms of sexual abuse.
Dangers of sexual abuse
Sexual abuse is never okay. It psychologically damages the victims. Victimized children end up losing respect and value for their bodies. And to worsen the matter, once the society gets to know about them, they tend to get isolated. Which on so many occasions induces them to commit suicide hence death.
Additionally, sexual abuse causes physical injuries to the victims. Many reports have said that these innocent children are hurt, bleed and get severe wounds, and sometimes are exposed to HIV/AIDS.
Sexual abuse is a trigger to school dropout for most girls in Uganda. Imagine news reaching school that an innocent girl was raped. She wants just to live in school to avoid shame and disrespect from fellow students.
Uganda Government in partnership with Non-governmental organizations.
However, the Ugandan government in partnership with Non-governmental organizations has used different strategies to end sexual abuses. Through sensitization and creation of awareness, sexual abuses were reduced to at least 14% in 2018.
This is a call that sexual abuse can be stopped for good with joined efforts of the government, non-governmental bodies, stakeholders, media, and society at large.
The media like radios, newspapers, televisions and the use of social media like Facebook, Twitter, and others have also played a vital role in fighting sexual abuses hence they should continue to the end.
Sensitization should not end at the stakeholders and media but rather be pushed to the local levels and communities. Parents should be sensitized to its danger so that they don’t stay silent but rather report the crimes to the nearby police stations as a way of protecting their children.
Therefore, ending sexual abuse is the responsibility of everyone in society. Let us remember to take a stand against child sexual abuse together with Tuyambe and save the future generation.