Some of the parents in the meeting listening to Owek. Dr. Joyce Abaliwano Mulebeke
NEWS EDITOR
PARENTS in Luuka District, Busoga region have tasked the government to amend the Children’s Act particularly on the criminalization of defilement among others.
Interfacing with the Busoga Kingdom team that is mobilizing different stakeholders in the area to play their respective roles towards the proper upbringing of their children on Thursday at Irongo sub-county Headquarters in Luuka District, area LC3 Vice Chairperson, Fatinah Naigaga challenged government to consider the plight of the boy child while handling sexually related cases.
Noting that modernity has come with its challenges in this digital era, Naigaga argued that lately underage girls are found of luring boys into sexual intercourse but the law only criminalizes the boy child thereby letting the girl off the hook yet sometimes girls are culpable too.
“We condemn all criminal cases involving underage children however, the children’s act is very unfair mostly to the boys.It only criminalizes them yet the girls are equally culpable and it’s high time we demanded for the amendment of that act to ensure that even girls are charged as well alongside the boys”, she said.
Relatedly, Jolly Bagoole, LC1 boss for Irongo village noted that while it’s important to protect the children, something needs to be done to ensure that the provision of their rights in their act does not empower them to ‘misbehave’.
“We must protect our children at all times unfortunately the young ones end up misbehaving in the guise of enjoying their rights”, Bagoole said before pleading for the amendment of the act to lessen on the rights and freedoms that they enjoy lately.
Tom Muluga,one of the parents in the area revealed that sexual and gender based violence can be addressed jointly however,parents and guardians ought to be supportive regardless of whether you are the biological parent or not. He revealed that this helps to create harmony in the family.
On their part,the Kingdom team comprising of Owek. Dr. Joyce Abaliwano Mulebeke who is the Team Leader Ekigangu kya Busoga also from the Kingdom’s Ministry of Gender, Women and Children Affairs accompanied by Sarah Awebwa Nyanja in charge counseling in Ekigangu tasked parents and other stakeholders to embrace the Kyabazinga’s commitment towards changing the plight of children in Busoga.
“The Kyabazinga alongside his foot soldiers spread allover is determined to rekindle Busoga’s lost glory by ensuring that we speak with one voice on all our issues as the people of Busoga.Together with the speaker of Parliament and Prime Minister of the Kingdom,they are too committed to see Busoga in a better position”, she said tasking her audience to change their mindset for a better and deserving Busoga they envisage to see in the near future.
“While the Kingdom will always devise means of supporting its people, people at the grassroot must work extra hard to tackle all their challenges and ought to be at the forefront of this task”.
At the end of the interface,parents and guardians present committed themselves to join the Kingdom in its auxiliary efforts to change their area once and for all. The Kingdom team has already been to Waibuga and Bukanga sub-counties spreading the message against sexual and gender based violence, school drop outs, teenage pregnancies and teenage mothers.
