Wakiso VHTs denounce abuse meted out to PWDs, child mothers

Wakiso, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Wakiso district Village Health Teams-VHTs have appealed to authorities and leaders to intervene and curb the escalating cases of violence against Persons with Disability-PWDs and child mothers.

They observed that parents and relatives hide their children born with disabilities indoors in violation of their rights to health and other services. Albinos and those who get pregnant at an early age are especially subjected to this degrading mistreatment.

VHT Teddy Nabakooza said that there is need for the government to facilitate VHTs to reach out to the communities and sensitise the families of the affected children to enable them enjoy their rights.

She explained that that most child mothers are kept indoors to block the public from interfacing with them citing shame.

Deborah Nakamya said that there is need to empower and support VHTs to enable them reach out to the mentally sick who miss out on support and health services because their parents and relatives hide them from the public.   She said that many children are denied access to education and subjected to hard labour in addition to physical assault which calls for intervention of law enforcement to enhance the crackdown on such abuses.

Winnie Nazziwa, a PWD from Nansana lamented over sexual abuses against PWDs saying that many of the cases remain unreported because the victims do not know their rights. Nazziwa appealed to parents to desist from hiding the PWDs indoors to allow them identify their talents so that they are not a burden to the community.

The VHTs made the appeals at the opening of Aruwe Center For Health in Wakiso town council, established to counsel and treat PWDs among them the albinos, child mothers as well as children who are victims of violence and abuse.

The Executive Director of Action For Rural Women Empowerment-ARUWE, Mable Mirembe said that the prevailing abuses compelled them to establish the health center to save the PWDs, albinos and child mothers who face difficulties while accessing Sexual Health Reproductive Health services from the mainstream government facilities.

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