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UGANDA
JANUARY 2004
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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CHILD RIGHTS PROTECTION – UGANDA
Table of Contents
1.1 Introduction
4
3.1 Introduction
10
ii
3.2 Mukono District findings
10
Appendices
Appendices
1) Information on UYDEL
2) Information on CFPU of the Uganda Police Force
3) List of Literature reviewed
4) Key Informants Questionnaire
5) Capacity Building for Child Rights Questionnaire
6) Schedule of Child abuse cases reported to police in 2003.
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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CHILD RIGHTS PROTECTION – UGANDA
List of Acronyms
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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CHILD RIGHTS PROTECTION – UGANDA
Executive Summary
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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CHILD RIGHTS PROTECTION – KALANGA AND
MUKONO - UGANDA
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
This baseline survey arose from the need to assess the level of child abuse, in its
various forms, in the districts of Mukono and Kalangala.
Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL) together with the Child and Family
Protection Unit (CFPU) of the Uganda Police Force, commissioned this research
primarily to enhance capacity for child rights protection in these districts, as a
vanguard to Uganda’s strategy to promote the rights of the child as spelt out in the
African charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1990) (ACRWC) and the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) (CRC).
The study therefore, was an integral activity towards the establishment of Child Rights
Protection Capacity Building project in the said Districts.
The Child and Family Protection Units (CFPU) of the Uganda Police Force are
responsible for promoting the rights of women and children. This police department
was established to facilitate investigation of cases of violence against women and
children, provide legal counseling, carry out sensitization among communities and
network with civic leaders on the observance of human rights. (See appendix 2)
`All Children are to enjoy the right to be children’.1 Reference is here drawn on the
basic proponents of the CRC (1989) and the African Charter on the Rights and
Welfare of the Child (1990). These provided the framework on which nations set the
standards of the observance of child rights.
1
Quotation from paper extract `Custody and the Rights of Children’ Patricia Kameri-Mbote 2000
1
The CRC for example, provides for matters of child survival, protection and
development. In so far as the child’s survival is concerned, it lays out in detail the
fundamental rights and freedoms of the child such as the right to life, equality, name,
nationality, conscience, expression, religion, non-discrimination and the principle of
concern for the best interests of the child in public decision-making. Matters of child
protection include special protections from dangers to which children are particularly
susceptible such as physical and mental mistreatment or abuse, abduction or
trafficking and economic and social exploitation.
On child development, the Convention seeks to promote access to such basic
requirements as education, information, leisure, medical treatment, care and
protection and other social economic benefits.
The 1995 constitution of Uganda attributes importance to the rights of children. This
was another action by the government to accord high priority to efficiency, fairness
and improvement in the management and administration of justice with due regard to
human rights, as a fundamental prerequisite for social and economic development.
The Uganda government went ahead and came up with explicit legislation on
children’s rights enshrined in The Children Statute 1996 now referred to as Children’s
Act 2003.
Thus by doing so the Uganda government recognized the importance of the fact that
children need special care and that a clear articulation of their rights is imperative.
With support of OAK foundation, UYDEL in conjunction with the CFPU have joined
efforts to promote commitment to the above by establishing a Child Rights protection
capacity building project in Mukono and Kalangala.
A review of literature3 shows that the case for child rights protection in Uganda is a
matter of urgency. The media is rife with reports on Child neglect, assault,
defilement/sexual abuse and sacrifice. This dates as far back as 1997. Police records
of child abuse cases reported during 2003, show an increasing incidence of child
abuse atrocities within the country. (See appendix 6)
Efforts to address this problem before it reaches inundate proportions have been
made by the government, Civil Society Organisations and several Non Governmental
Organisations. Through the literature review, it was found that the districts of Mukono
2
Caregivers in this research refer to parents/guardians, siblings, cousinhood and teachers.
3
See List of Literature reviewed Appendix 3
2
and Kalangala have one of the highest records of child abuse cases with the
exception of Northern Uganda armed conflict region.
It is believed that through the findings of this survey UYDEL and CFPU will be able to
address the problem of Child Rights Protection in the districts of Mukono and
Kalangala. The information obtained will also assist in planning for the affected
children, community and aid policy makers. Thus act as a leading edge to dealing with
similar problems in other districts within the country.
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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CHILD RIGHTS PROTECTION – KALANGA AND
MUKONO - UGANDA
(c) establish the level of awareness of the existence of these offences among
government officials, lay leaders, the children and the community at large.
(d) establish whether any intervention has been made to address the plight of the
abused children and protect the children. If these have been made, what kind of
intervention and by whom.
(e) Identify and network with key stakeholders in the district in the case against
child abuse.
(a) Knowledge of the common forms and magnitude of child abuse in the area of
study
(b) A thorough exchange of ideas through focus group discussion of the viability
and need for child rights protection in the area
(c) A clear strategy for child rights awareness campaigns and intervention to help
meet the survival, protection and development needs of children as stipulated
by the CRC (1990) to which Uganda is a signatory.
To reach these goals, UYDEL and CFPU through the Child Rights Protection
Project will undertake, in a bid to raise capacity, an awareness-raising program
that will target among others the Children themselves, parents/guardians,
teachers, religious leaders and local government officials in Mukono and Kalangala
districts.
The findings of this survey are a point of reference against which the effectiveness
of the Child Rights Protection Project can be measured. Furthermore the findings
and recommendations will support the planning, implementation, monitoring and
evaluation of the project in these districts.
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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CHILD RIGHTS PROTECTION – KALANGA AND
MUKONO - UGANDA
PART TWO
METHODOLOGY
2.0 Methodology
The report is structured into four sections: Part one mainly outlines the background to
the survey, and the research objectives. Part two outlines the methodology of the
survey. This includes the survey design framework used, sample selection,
questionnaire development and limitations. Part three reports on the findings with
observations and Part four provides recommendations in light of the findings reported.
The assignment was projected to start in November 2003 and a report submitted by
end December 2003. Nonetheless due to a number of constraints the survey started in
December during the festive period. Actual data analysis took one month.
The research work commenced with the review of literature on child abuse and child
protection and the drafting of the questionnaires. (See appendix 3,4 & 5). During this
period arrangements were also made with the district officials including the probation
officer to assist in facilitating the survey.
The Target population consisted of child respondents from the age of 5 (five) years to
17 (seventeen) years. The Key informants were sub grouped to include, district
officials, the local council; faith based organizations, the magistrates, key members of
the business community including boda-boda cyclists, and caregivers. This was in an
effort to redeem time and save on transport costs. The research assistants randomly
selected respondents from each category listed above.
As earlier mentioned the survey respondents were from Kalangala and Mukono
Districts (*mention villages and landing sites visited. E.g. Mwena, lutoboka, nyenga).
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2.3 Questionnaire development, Data collection and analysis
The data collection methods used were face to face interviews and focus group
discussions. The researchers administered the completion of the questionnaires in
both instances. Face to face interviews were necessary in order to obtain qualitative
responses from open-ended questions. While administering the questionnaire,
researchers introduced themselves and informed the respondents on the purpose of
the survey where it was applicable.
Two questionnaires were used: one for the key informants and focus groups
(appendix 4) and the other for the child respondents (appendix 5).
The first questionnaire gathered information on the level of awareness, common forms
of child abuse, the magnitude of the problem and interventions in place.
The questionnaire for the child respondents gathered information on gender, age,
education level and other identification details. It also included questions on
knowledge of child abuse and whether the respondent has been abused.
Data collected for the Key informants and the focus group discussions were analyzed
manually. The data collected from the children was analyzed using SPSS. Part three
of this report details the findings of the data analysis.
1. The survey report doesn’t detail/capture the level of unresponsiveness among the
civil society in these regions on the issue of child abuse. The underlying beliefs
related to these practices such as early marriages and the silence there after are
not reported in detail. Nevertheless the underlying purpose of this study was to
identify the undeniable existence and common forms of child abuse and create an
entry point and start the proposed project for child rights protection with full
knowledge of intervention avenues.
2. The researchers also had to write descriptive answers.
3. Some respondents were not interviewed since they were not informed in advance
4. Lack of statistical data about Child Sexual Abuse
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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CHILD RIGHTS PROTECTION – UGANDA
It is paramount that terms are clearly understood as used in this report. It is not always
possible to have a consensus on terminology used. Nevertheless the definition of
terms and a common terminology that promotes better understanding of concepts and
accurately reflects the complexity of the issue becomes important when sharing ideas
across national and professional boundaries.
Therefore each aspect of the subject of child rights protection, ‘the child’, ‘child abuse’,
‘rights’, ‘caregiver’, ‘perpetrator’, and ‘protection’, require further explanation.
• According to the Uganda Child Statute (1996), the definition of a child is every
human being below the age of 18 years.
• Since children are a special class of human beings susceptible and very vulnerable
to abuses, they are eligible under the above instruments for special protection. By
protection we mean a shield or a safety net that enables the proper nature and
growth of the children into responsible and productive adults. Therefore a special
system of rights is necessary to shield them from neglect, exploitation and abuse.
This system will also offer the child redress for violations of these rights.
• Before they are able to look after themselves children need the protection and
support of the adults. In this report the adults have been grouped into two
categories. The ‘caregivers’ who include the parents/guardians, siblings,
cousinhood and teachers and the second category of the ‘protectors of the law’.
These include the government officials at the districts including the magistrates,
the local council, the police and local defense units.
• ‘Child Abuse’ is any action by any human being, in this report referred to as the
perpetrator, which does not hold the best interests of the child as the primary
consideration. These violations include:
∗
a. Child Sexual Exploitation
b. Child Labour
c. Child Neglect
d. Child Assault
Child Sexual Exploitation can take on the forms of Early Marriages, Commercial Sex or Prostitution and
exposure to Pornographic materials.
7
e. Child Sacrifice
f. Child Drug and Substance Abuse
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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CHILD RIGHTS PROTECTION – KALANGA AND
MUKONO - UGANDA
PART THREE
3.1 Introduction:
As previously discussed in section 2.3, the main component of the first questionnaire
(annex 4) was to gather information in both districts, on the common forms of child
abuse, the magnitude or level of the problem, the awareness levels among district
officials, community members, and caregivers on child abuse.
Other research questions included the problems faced by the victims, the category
type of perpetrators, and any definitive suggestions for interventions.
The target key respondents were persons from Faith based organizations, Legal
fraternity, Probation Officer, District and Local Council Officials, Local Defense Unit’s,
Police Officers, Health workers, Business Fraternity, etc.
Most of these persons also formed part of the focus group discussions. The analysis
of the findings has been amalgamated, as the results were similar.
SECTION A
Most of the respondents listed above were in agreement that the problem of Child
Abuse in the areas of Mukono, Lugazi and Nyenga was in existence. However, there
were varied opinions as to the degree or scale of Child abuse. Some were of the
opinion that it was on the decrease while others thought that it was on the increase.
Nevertheless it was still a great majority that believed that it was very prevalent and
was on the increase, and argued that the exact figures couldn’t be quoted with
accuracy because most victims and their caregivers remained silent. (See appendix 6)
Reasons forwarded for the lack of response from the caregivers were as follows:
9
a) Where relatives, say a parent, uncle or grandparent, are involved they prefer to
keep silent to prevent shame and being shunned by the community.
b) Poverty overrides the need for intervention and the parents of the abused prefer to
negotiate for monetary benefits. This often leads to early childhood marriages.
They also believe in transferring the burden of up keep especially of the girl child to
the defiler.
c) The victims are threatened and intimidated into silence. These live in fear and are
sometimes driven away from home. In such cases its until the victim gets pregnant,
falls sick, manages to escape in cases of starvation and battery, or a neighbor gets
wind of it, that what has been happening comes to light. But in most cases it’s too
late for the victim.
d) Police response to the reported cases is extremely poor because of bribery. They
themselves negotiate with the perpetrators, drag and never follow through with the
cases. Secondly court procedures are complicated and frustrating.
e) Most times the victims believe that this is a normal occurrence in families, because
the caregivers that they respect and trust are committing these offences.
f) The victims also keep silent because they aren’t very sure of the parent/guardian’s
reaction to news of defilement or assault, neglect and or use in hard labour,
especially if it involves one of the immediate caregivers. Furthermore they don’t
want to lose out on the benefits of belonging to the family. This arises from the
examples they see of their fellow victims being chased away from home or taken to
live with a relative and forgotten.
g) The victims are sometimes already victims of neglect and assault. Because of the
extra benefits they get from the defiler they keep silent and never report until its too
late.
h) Some parents aid and abate, whether through ignorance or otherwise child abuse.
An example given was that of parents who owned boats and used their sons as
cheap labour for fishing expeditions and thus causing them to neglect their
education. Other businesses mentioned where children were employed included
bars/”hotel’s”. There were varied reactions on this, as some respondents believed
that in this day and age parents should realize that the child’s welfare comes first.
A number of respondents also noted that this silence created gaps in actual statistical
evidence of the need to intervene in the cause of the child with reference to child
abuse. It also affected the number of reported cases and led one to believe that the
crime against children within these parts of Uganda had reduced relatively. With the
HIV/AIDS prevalence still high, the respondents voiced their concerns on the non-
responsive attitude of the caregivers on the issues of Child Abuse in relation to
defilement and sexual exploitation.
10
Respondents from Nyenga stressed as a matter of urgency the need for intervention
in the increasing Commercial Sex Exploitation of girl children and other forms of child
labor on the landing site.
Once again stress was laid on the lack of response by the caregivers and the victims
of abuse thus a great need to sensitize and educate these persons on the gravity of
Child Abuse if left untackled.
♦ Child Sexual Exploitation4 and Early Childhood Marriages; children who have been
sexually abused end up being married off by the perpetuator especially where the
victim has been impregnated. This is done after negotiations with parents who are
paid a small sum of money to settle the matter.
♦ Child Labour5; other forms of child labor include; petty trade by children, child
domestic worker, children working in the market and children being involved in
fishing.
♦ Child assault and battery mostly accruing from households with domestic family
violence7
♦ Drug and Substance Abuse especially in areas where Marijuana is cultivated for a
living.8
♦ Child Sacrifice was least mentioned as a problem although there were references
made to scattered occurrences of this type of child abuse.
The community Liaisons officer and LC1 Lugazi Police barracks gave statistical
representation of these offences as follows:
4
Especially increased child prostitution, which includes the usage if young boys and girls for sexual gratification
and religious and customary marriages.
5
Fishing and fish drying plus heavy jobs camouflaged as domestic work
6
Characterized by increased number of school dropouts even with the introduction of UPE.
7
This was largely attributed to increase in grass root poverty coupled with large families to look after. Plus
increase in family breakdowns.
8
Youths from the ages of 14/15 onwards were main culprits. Attributed to increase in redundancy especially of
school dropouts.
9
Very few references were given of this kind of abuse. Some attributed this to changes in cultural values and
general loss of morals of the children in general.
11
♦ 55 cases of family and domestic violence in which children were also victims, were
reported in 2003. The common types of violence committed in these incidents
include rape and assault of children. The case of child defilement under these
situations is the most rampant.
♦ 12 cases of child neglect were reported in the month of December 2003 only.
♦ Between 12 and 15 cases of child desertion were reported. Making at least one
reported case per month.
Most defilement and other child abuse cases are handled at LC1 level, which it was
noted is against the law as these are offences only, tried by High Court.
On the issue of child neglect it was noted that some of the victims of defilement are
married off and produce children whom they latter abandon due to either domestic
violence or better prospects of life in urban centers. Sometimes the caregivers
themselves send them to relatives in towns as maidservants or other forms of child
laborers.
Increase in child labour in these parts is also attributed to large-scale investors such
as SCOUL and owners of green houses. These are seeking cheap labour for their
own profit maximization.
The key informant’s were of the view that most of the residents of the district were
unaware of child abuse as defined. They are also ignorant of the law concerning
offences committed against the child. This includes some members of the local
council, lay leaders and caregivers.
Most of them advocate that the children must do their share of domestic work, as it
has been the practice over years. The children of these days it was asserted are very
unruly and disobedient. Thus deserving the punishment meted out upon them.
Because of the improved communication children have picked up a lot and they
believe that they have a right to everything. It was further stressed that this issue of
rights for children is going to aggravate this situation in the households. Thus making it
harder to discipline and protect them. They also stressed that sometimes the media
exaggerates issues of child assault. Most of the children who run away from homes
are very difficult children.
However most respondents interviewed agreed that this was a gross case of
ignorance among the civil society on the scope of children’s rights and the need to
provide protection for them. It was proposed that these circumstances be rectified
through extensive sensitization and workshops.
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Finding 4: Problems of victims of Child Abuse
The victims of abuse suffer a host of problems. The most common of which are:
d) Early childhood marriages. Most often viewed as the normal course of action by
the caregivers in cases of defilement.
e) Dehumanizing conditions of life such as low immunity levels among starved and
neglected children, physical harm characterized in extreme cases in severe
marring sometimes leading to loss of limbs or other body parts in children who
have been battered and assaulted.
Those engaged in hard labor are exposed to hazardous environments that affect
their health and general welfare. This is characterized in stunted growth, chronic
infections and gradual reduction in activity levels10.
f) Use of vulgar language and other addictive behavior among children exposed to
pornographic material, stumble on adults engaging in sexual activity or who have
participated in both drug and substance abuse and sexual activity.
h) Increase in the rates of school dropouts and general losses in education. Includes
those engaged in child labor as they are often too tied to go to school while others
prefer the meager earnings to going to school.12
j) Increase in juvenile deaths, lending to the ever-low levels of life expectancy in the
district.
10
This is also a normal occurrence among drug and substance abusers often leading to death.
11
This includes education, medical attention and assistance and counseling.
12
As previously mentioned some children are already victims of abuse and prefer the little earned as an effort to
gain some of the lost reins to themselves.
13
They tend to become child abusers themselves, thieves, hoodlums, etc.
13
Finding 5: Perpetuators of child abuse
As pointed out in finding one, the main perpetrators are in most instances known to
the victims in one way or another. However these include:
♦ Caregivers14
♦ Fellow children15
On the whole most of the respondents believed that there is little or no intervention in
the area of child abuse and promotion of child rights.
As chronicled, the response from the members of the civil society is very low and often
viewed as the responsibility of the government and the family affected. The community
views the police as agents of the perpetrators and not agents of peace and
reconciliation.
Most of the respondents were not aware of the CFPU that have been established at
the police stations. It was even advocated by the few who knew of its existence, that
the CFPU be transferred from the police stations to enable increase in number of
cases reported as most of the people were afraid to be seen going to the police
station.
Furthermore there is a general denial of these occurrences by the public. Most of them
believe that the perpetrators are bewitched or involved in wizardry practices that
demands such actions. And therefore advocate for the apprehension of these
alchemists.
Another dilemma forwarded for the low levels of intervention was fear of political
torture especially if the perpetrator has influence. In addition to this predicament is the
backlash when the assailant is a relative.
Besides these explanations the key informants stressed the lack of knowledge on
child abuse and the laws governing such offences. Most members of the civil society
in these parts are still ignorant of their rights.
14
As previously noted caregivers in this research refer to parents/guardians, siblings, cousinhood and teachers.
15
These include class mates, school mates and children in the neighborhood, including the juvenile delinquent.
16
Those particularly mentioned by the key informants included members of the local defence, business
community, civil service and private sector.
14
Notwithstanding there have been sprinkled cases of intervention mostly by parents,
law enforcement officers, local council officials, CSO’s and NGO’s.
These have taken the forms of rallies and campaigns plus mass mobilization for
sensitization on child protection at sub county and county levels. An example is the
workshop/seminar that was organized by the community liaison officer, lugazi police
station, in 2003.
Key Informants noted that most of these NGO’s and CBO’s aren’t necessarily
addressing the plight of abused children or the issue of child abuse and need for child
protection. Normally it’s a case of intervention along their line of duty. For example
Compassion International looks after the educational needs of children especially the
orphans. It therefore may stumble up on a situation of abandoned and neglected
children.
15
SECTION B
This was done in tabular form to expound on the findings of the survey in this category
of respondents,
A total of Two hundred and Eight (208) respondents of the said age category were
interviewed. As shown by the table below each district had One hundred and Four
questionnaires to administered. All were administered albeit with some limitations as
explained in part one.
Table1: Location
Frequency Percent
By sex category the percentage representation of the male over the female was 28.5
percent over a female representation of 71.5 percent as shown by the table below.
Table 2: Sex of respondent
Male 59 28.5
16
Total 207 100
6-8 11 5.3
9-11 40 19.4
12-14 79 38.3
15-17 76 36.9
To gather accurate information pertaining to age, respondents were asked what their
ages were. Those who did not know further probing was done for the events that
happened at the time of birth. Table 3 shows that 38.3 percent were between 12 to 14
years followed by age category 15 to 17 with a percentage of 36.9 percent. There
were children below 12 years though they formed the smallest percentage of 19.4
percent. This shows that sex education should start early enough because sex
encounter starts as early as 9 years.
Traditionally, parents have a responsibility of meeting basic needs of their children. In the
absence of parents a broad family network takes over responsibility. However, with current
changes in society, the extended family net work is weakening and therefore children who have
lost their parents or whose parents are not in position to look after often find them selves living
with friends or alone in rented rooms. This puts them at a risk of sexual exploitation in order to
meet their basic needs. Children who stay with relatives also find themselves sexually
exploited by relatives taking care of them.
17
Total 207 100
The table above illustrates that 40.6 percent lived with both parents. 24.6 percent lived
with relatives while 26.1 percent lived with one parent. This could be due to family
break down, which has increased due to domestic violence. This could as well force
children to run away from home thus ending up with wrong people who abuse them.
In Uganda, an orphan is defined as a child below 18 years of age who has lost at least
one or both biological parents. Studies in Uganda and else where have shown that
orphans are vulnerable to all forms of abuse. Given this situation, there was need to
explore the parental status of respondents.
The findings in the table above show that it is not only orphans who are vulnerable to abuse but
also children whose parents are alive. 39.9 percent of the respondents had both parents. This
implies that 60.1 percent were orphans although 32.2 percent had at least one parent alive. This
makes them vulnerable to sexual abuse by those who promise o meet their basic needs or even
the relatives who take care of them.
Out of those who lost either parent, HIV/AIDS appears to be the major cause as
represented by 61 percent.
Parents’ occupation
The study went further to investigate the occupations of the parents or guardians of
the respondents. This will help establish their levels of literacy and ability to
18
understand issues concerning child sexual abuse. The table below presents the
findings.
Table 7: Parent’s/guardians occupation
Farmer/Peasant 35 17
Fisherman 22 10.7
Fishmonger 9 4.4
Business man/woman 21 10.2
Doesn’t know 6 2.9
Other 113 54.9
Total 206 100
Missing System 2
Grand total 208
17 percent of the children interviewed are children of peasants and therefore the low
incomes in their families may have forced them into commercial Sex. 54.9-percentage
representation of parent’s occupation marked “other” detailed categories including
police officer, civil servant, teacher, Doctor/medical worker etc. Indicating that most of
the respondents came from the civil service sector and had thus attained a minimum
level of education of post primary education. This indicates that children in CSEC may
not only be children of very poor people but also the middle class thus a multiplicity of
factors may force a child into Commercial S
Education affects many aspects of life including individual economic, social and health
behavior. Studies have shown that children who are not in school are likely to join the
labor force early and hence the involvement in any form of child labor or child
exploitation. The study was interested in investigating respondent’s schooling status.
The table below shows information of currently attending school, left school and those
who have never attended school.
Out of the 208 child respondents 161(77.4%) were currently attending school. Of these
140 (69.7%) was attending primary school. This can be attributed to the current
Universal Primary Education Programme, which has contributed to the high number of
children enrolling in school. Only 2.9 of the respondents had never attended school. The
table also shows that 41(19.7%) of the respondents left school. Main reasons forwarded
19
by respondents for not attending school revealed that cost of school fees. This brings in
the argument that the cost of primary education is still high in spite of the introduction of
UPE.
The table above also reveals some level of slow learning as most of the respondents as
earlier noted were of the 12-14-age bracket. This could also have accrued as a result of
government introducing Universal Primary Education in 1997 that saw more pupils
especially those that had left school due to school fees re-enroll in school. Very few
respondents were at higher education probably because they are out side the target
age.
The study went further to explore why some children are not in school yet there is UPE
and below are some of the findings of the study.
The table above shows that cost of schooling especially school fees is the major
reason for early school drop out. This implies that as much as there is Universal
Primary education, some children drop out of school because secondary education is
not catered for. Even at lower levels, parents still pay some minimal amount of money,
which poor parents cannot afford.
A Key Informant had this to say;
“Respondents from Lugazi Town Council Mukono District complained about lack of
free primary education in the schools in Lugazi, which has seen many children drop
out of school.”
20
Nonetheless majority of respondents were in school. Using the population by region
and district based census 2002 provisional results, 17, based on the table above it can
be concluded that the percentage dropout rate of children from school per 100 is 19.7.
Therefore from an estimated population of 422,292 children in both districts 18, the
dropout rate of children is 83,193 pupils. (i.e. 83,193:422,292).Furthermore the
composition of children who never attended school equals to 12,247 pupils.
From results of the questionnaire administered, engagement in domestic work was the
manner in which most of the respondents spent their free time. Domestic work in these
areas includes jobs like drying, smoking and selling of fish, housework including the
care taking of siblings, fetching of water from the wells, lakes or springs and running
home businesses.
The ILO Convention (1999)19 explicitly points out that the commercial exploitation of
children is one of the worst forms of child labor, and this needs to be eliminated
immediately. Use of children in family owned businesses to save on labor expenses and
also to carry out heavy and odious tasks camouflaged as domestic house work is a
common practice in most house holds in S.S.A as illustrated.
17
Page 89, 2003 Statistical Abstract Uganda Bureau of Statistics
18
Population provisional results provide that for Kalangala and Mukono there are 36,661 &
807,923 persons respectively. Over 50% of Uganda’s Population is in the age bracket of 0-
15 years. This gives us a population representation of 422,292 children. Since more than
38% respondents were below 15 years this database was
used for analysis.
19
ILO Convention No.182 (1999)
21
Ever received informal training
Informal education is the kind of education received out side school. This kind of
education provides skills to those who have dropped out of school to enable them
under take paid employment. Informal training in this case includes Vocational skills
training like Hairdressing, carpentry, tailoring and mechanics.
Only 20% of the respondents had ever received informal training. This implies that
those who dropped out of school did not have any employable skill and therefore most
likely to engage in Commercial Sex as a survival mechanism.
Many children today suffer from different STDs due to lack of knowledge about them.
This study therefore wanted to find out the level of awareness respondents had about
HIV/AIDS and what kind of STDs they had information about.
A response of 189 out of 206 respondents was aware of the existence of Sexually
Transmitted Infections. Of these 124 (63.3%) were mostly aware of HIV/AIDS. This
implies that the awareness campaigns for the HIV/AIDS pandemic have had a very
large and effective coverage.
22
Table 14: Types of STD’s/STI’s Known
Only 17(8.5%) of the respondents had ever suffered from an STD and 09 (4.6%) as
ever being pregnant. There is a possibility that these children could have suffered from
STDs like syphilis but could not tell because they had no knowledge about them.
Against a children’s population of 422,29220 this gives a frequency possibility rate of
71,790 respondents having suffered from an STD/STI and 38,006 having gotten
pregnant below the ages of 16 years. Table statistics indicate that only 4.3 percent
had ever gotten pregnant and this could partly explain the STD cases.
20
IBID UBOS Statistical Abstract 2003.
23
Table 17: Ever taken an HIV test
Based on the above response only 09(4.5) had ever taken an HIV/AIDS test. Of these
04(2%) claimed to have been compelled to do so because they had had unprotected
sexual encounters.
This could also imply that some cases of STD infection were not known as very few
respondents had ever taken a test.
Today children start engaging in sex below 15 years according to previous studies.
This is mainly brought about by misconceptions and wrong information which children
Have about sex.
Therefore, this study wanted to find out whether parents have opened up to their
Children about matters of sexuality.
24
Frequency Percent Valid Cumulative
percent percent
Does not understand 61 29.3 30.7 30.7
Vague understanding 28 13.5 14.1 44.7
Understands that sex is
copulation between 110 52.9 55.3 100
male and female
Total 199 95.7 100
Missing System 9 4.3
Total 208 100
110 (55.3%)respondents understood the meaning of the term sex. 28(14.1%) had a
vague understanding of the term. 30.7% did not understand or know the term. Some
of the respondents were too young to have ever even had of the word. Others had just
no understanding of the term.
Of the 110 (55.3%) most had first learnt about sex from their fellow peers. As tabled
below;
Frequency Percent
From teachers 57 33.
From Parents/Guardians 8 5
From Fellow Peers 65 38
Form Media (Radio, TVs, etc) 10 6
From News Papers/Magazines 2 1
All the above Sources 21 12
Other 9 5
Total 172 100
Missing System 36
The argument for fellow peers will be strengthened on the grounds of the need to
promote peer education as a strategy in promoting child rights awareness. Teachers
closely followed this. Showing the advantage the schools have in this campaign
against child abuse especially sexual abuse and commercial exploitation of children.
There is also need to sensitise parents about Child Sexual Abuse to enable them talk
to their children about sex and also report cases of sexual abuse to authorities.
The response on the question for the first age of sexual encounter was very poor as
explained under the limitations of the research. Nevertheless 52% of the respondents
reported to have first sex at the ages of 14-16.32% at the age’s of11-13, 12% at the
ages of 08-10 and 3% at ages of 05-07. There was a big percentage of non-response
probably because culturally children are not allowed to discuss sex. Therefore many
children could be sexually exploited but fear to talk about it not even with their parents.
25
This brings the need to sensitise children and also empower them to speak about their
rights.
The UDHS 2000-2001 collected data on the age of first sexual intercourse. It was noted that by
age 15, 23 percent of women are already sexually active. So it was of interest to the study to
determine at what age children first got involved in sex and whether there is a variation with
UDHS findings.
The table above indicates that the age of first sexual encounter has lowered from 15 years to 7
years in the two districts. One 9-year-old girl from kalangala said a fisherman had abused her
but incidentally he hid in the islands. Another 10-year-old girl from Mukono said she is forced
to sleep with men to earn a living.
Below is her story.
“I lost my parents so I had to leave school. Now i am selling water for my aunt but the money I
get is not enough for me. There is a man I the market who aid he will give me money if I sleep
with him. I agreed and he gave me 1000/=”
This creates a need for massive sensitisation of children at all levels about sex in order to
prevent early pregnancy and STD infection.
Using the provisional population by region and district census results the rate of
defilement is at 291,139 children out of a population of 422,293.
26
Since the majority of the respondents were female most gave boy friend, as the
answer to with whom was first sexual encounter. Nonetheless someone known to
them had defiled. Most of these respondents. Only 5% didn’t know the defiler
40 (19.2%) respondents reported to being still sexually active. The research had no
responses for 104 respondents on this question.
There are many misconceptions about sexual abuse even among adults. There is a belief that
sexual abuse involves only defilement hence under looking other forms of sexual abuse like
fondling, harassment and assault. The study set out to find out the level of awareness
respondents had about sexual abuse and what forms of abuse they had experienced.
Below is the table showing findings;
39 (26%) of the respondents had clear understanding and knowledge of the meaning of
sexual abuse. However, 68 (45%) did not and 45 (30%) had a vague understanding.
This reveals an estimation of 477,199 children are unaware of the meaning of sexual
abuse. From the research results 56 (33%) of the respondents revealed that they had
been sexually abused.
Most affirmed that they had been defiled or fondled as shown in the table below.
27
Table 25: Nature of Sexual Abuse
Frequency Percent
Defilement 26 46
Rape 1 2
Commercial Sex 4 7
Fondling 25 45
Total 56 100
Missing System 152
According to the following results tabled below most of the respondents were defiled
away from home and were alone. They were promised monetary benefits among
others.
Frequency Percent
Alone @ home 8 14
Alone away from home 22 39
@ School 9 16
On way from school 7 12
@ Relatives place 3 5
Other 8 14
Total 57 100
Missing System 151
Most of the abuses take place away from home; it could be on the way from school or on the
way to school. “Men disturb us on our way to school and on the way back home. Some
times when we are going to the well in the evening, some men touch our breasts”;
said one respondent from Mukono.
Sensitisation campaigns should include the community as a whole because those who abuse
children come from the community.
A key informant however said that some children are abused but they never get to know the
abuser because children keep quiet about it.
28
Despite the existence of Sexual Abuse of Children, many cases are not reported as majority are
settled amongst the parents or some of the parents do not get to know about the abuse because of
the societal perception of sex.
Quiet often no action is taken when children have been sexually abused. Some prefer to settle the
matter within the family setting while others donot know where to report the money. Others have
attempted to report but Local Councils have remained adamant.
A Key Informant (Women Representative) from Nkoko zone had this to say;
“ A five year old child was abused the perpetuator ran away before any action was done. The
parents kept quiet about it and the LC got to know about the incidence through the neighbors.
Many people prefer not to talk because sexual abuse is embarrassing but others are paid some
money to settle the case.”
The table below shows that there is little action in case of child Sexual abuse.
39 (26%) of the respondents took no action after defilement. Different reasons were generated
for lack of action. However most of the respondents were just not aware that they had been
defiled and that it was an act against their rights.
Frequency Percent
Was threatened 2 2
Fear of the denial of basic 7 7
needs
Feared to loss marks 1 1
Feared to be chased away 10 9
from home
Other 20 19
Not applicable 66 62
Total 106 100
29
From the table below teachers and peer educators are the main sources of information on child
abuse. Further strengthening the cause for training peer educators and using schools especially
the educational curriculum as campaigning ground for furthering child rights protection.
Frequency Percent
Fellow Peers 37 21
Teachers 35 20
Parents 1 1
Other relative 5 3
Others 24 14
No One 76 43
Total 178 100
Missing System 30
Most of the respondents 129(65%) were totally unaware of the existence and role of the child
and family protection unit of the police force. Another 156 (82%) did not know of any NGO in
the area that was involved in the issue of child abuse.
30
CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CHILD RIGHTS PROTECTION – KALANGA AND
MUKONO - UGANDA
PART FOUR
Statistical measurement of the magnitude of these abuses could not be easily established. Such
measurement needs a comprehensive research to establish the actual levels of each.
Nonetheless it is important to note that the very existence of child abuse in these areas (as per
research findings) spells the need to intervene and promote the rights of these children in
accordance with the proponents of the CRC, the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, Children Statute
1996.
Observations of these findings are presented according to the objectives of the study under the
sub headings namely: forms of Child Abuse, magnitude of the problem, level of awareness and
interventions in place.
31
most mentioned kind of perpetuators of child abuse. It was further mentioned that it is very
difficult to trace these persons as they seek refuge in the islands.
Accruing from the above discussions, the key informants blamed the government for slow
intervention especially in facilitation and other logistical requirements to the police to assist them
fight the increasing level of child abuse especially along the landing sites. The police have only
one boat that is to transport them across the island and this more often than not is in need of
repairs and lacks fuel. There is also not well equipped to travel by water when tipped of an
incidence of child abuse.
The local leaders to whom cases are reported are not well conversant with the law governing
child abuse and children’s rights. So they are not sure how to respond to such accusations when
the victims have not been medically examined because there is no support given to those who
have been abused.
Level of awareness
Many people are not aware of child abuse as defined and the law concerning offences committed
against children. Even the well-established people like Local Council leaders are ignorant about
the problem of child abuse by definition thus making it difficult to establish the magnitude.
There is a common perception that advocating for child rights will increase the problem since it
has created conflict between parents and children.
Residents of Kalangala district and neighboring islands were very relaxed about the problem of
child abuse. A few respondents laid the blame on lack of communication and transportation that
made it very difficult for the residents to report cases to the Police headquarters thus most of the
cases are handled at local level.
The local leaders to whom cases are reported are not well conversant with the law governing
child abuse and children’s rights. So they are not sure how to respond to such accusations when
the victims have not been medically examined because there is no support given to those who
have been abused.
Interventions in place
There is little or no intervention in place. There has been low response form society as protecting
children is seen as a responsibility of government and the family.
NGOs and CBOs are not necessarily addressing the plight of abused children and so is the Child
Family Protection Unit. Some cases are reported to the Local leaders where they are never solved
because of corruption.
32
♦ Establish a more effective community policing programme
♦ Sensitisation of the children themselves especially as peer educators
♦ Review and enact better and clearer laws on child abuse especially child labor and sexual
abuse.
Recommendations
♦ There is need for extensive sensitization and awareness campaigns for the parents (care
givers), teachers, Local leaders and children. Parents need information on the rights of
children and where to refer cases of child abuse. Children too need to be sensitized about
their rights to enable them report cases of abuse.
♦ More government intervention on child rights protection and law enforcement against child
offenders. Government should strengthen the Child Family Protection Unit in the police
department to enable them handle cases of abuse effectively.
♦ Increased networking between government and the private sector, FBOs, NGOs, CBOs and
the community on issues of child rights protection.
♦ Effective dissemination of research findings in the area of child abuse and child rights
protection and similar documents including extracts from the law.
♦ Accruing from above, support and facilitation of the media to promote children’s rights.
♦ Involve schools both primary and secondary in advocating for the rights of children.
Appendix 1
33
21. Defence/ Security Secretary
Key Informants contacted in Mukono (Nyenga landing site, Lugazi and Mukono
Township)
34
♦ Child and Family Protection Unit [CFPU] [Uganda Police] this unit has greatly
improved the situation despite the several obstacles they face in performance of
duty.
Appendix 11
Names of participants
Mukono District
• Nganwa Paul
• Asekenye Stella
• Namuzimbi Cissy
Kalangala District
• Tindyebwa Judith
• Kyokusiima Jane
• Mukajubiri margaret
35