The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Bushenyi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Probation officers in Ankole sub-region are overwhelmed by the rampant cases of child neglect. Bushenyi, Ntungamo, and Ibanda districts top the list with the highest cases of child neglect.
According to statistics from the probation departments of the three districts, Bushenyi registered more than 500 cases between January and December 2022, while Ntungamo and Ibanda districts registered 1,752 and 67 cases respectively in the last six months.
Faith Amanya Betega, the Senior Probation and Welfare Officer of Bushenyi district, says that child neglect cases emanate from the increase in domestic violence in homes, which has taken a huge toll on boys compared to girls.
Benon Mugume, the Ntungamo District Probation Officer says that domestic violence is changing, noting that previously, men were known for beating women but now it is the women violating men. He says it is not common for battered women to neglect children but it is easy for men to disregard them when abused by women.
Henry Mushabe, the Mbarara City Probation Officer, says that the country needs to deal with the rampant cases of child abuse, including sexual and physical abuse, child labor, trafficking, and early marriages. Mushabe says that they have recorded 33 cases of child neglect and 27 cases of abandoned children from January 2022 to date.
He wants the government to develop a policy that compels all citizens to take DNA tests and have the results stored in a central database so that it is easy to trace irresponsible parents. Alison Asiimire, the Mbarara District Probation Officer says her office has registered 56 cases resulting from the failure of the parents to provide basic needs, child abandonment, and parent denial.
She says local governments should formulate ordinances that can be used in handling such cases easily rather than the National Children’s Act.
Dominic Mukiza, the Ibanda District Probation Officer says that child rights abuse in the district is mostly triggered by domestic violence. He noted 73 out of the 100 cases of child neglect registered in Ibanda have traces of domestic violence.
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