Deogratias Yiga, Moses Binoga and Lydia Akite during the launch of the antichild sacrifice campaign in Mulago

By Andante Okanya

Non-governmental organisations have launched a joint campaign with the Police to fight human sacrifice in Uganda.

The campaign is spearheaded by the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN).

Other organisations in the campaign include Save the Children Uganda, Plan International, World Vision, UNICEF, Uganda Child Rights NGO Network, Defence for Children International, the Uganda Police, Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children, Promotion of Traditional Medicines and Rwenzori Beverages.

Deogratias Yiga, the executive director of ANPPCAN Uganda, said the campaign was aimed at increasing awareness and vigilance against human sacrifice.

“As we join the rest of the world to celebrate 20 years of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, we come together in this campaign against human sacrifice with special emphasis on the child,” Yiga said.

He added that the joint campaign would involve working closely with traditional healers to weed out witchcraft and human sacrifice.

Yiga was flanked by Moses Binoga, an assistant commissioner of Police and the head of the Anti-Human Sacrifice Task Force.

“Traditional healing is not synonymous with witchcraft. We ask the Government to set up a special court to try the suspects,” he added.

As part of the campaign, a public dialogue will be held on November 24 to discuss ideas and opinions.

It will be followed by a solidarity walk on November 26 from Buganda Road Primary School to Parliament, where a petition will be handed to the Speaker.

According to the Police, 25 persons were killed in circumstances suspected to be human sacrifice between January and November, of whom 13 were children.