By Phionah Kesaasi

I WAS appalled by the photo of a starved child that appeared on the front page of The New Vision, November 25. I have reflected on this photo and wondered under what circumstances one would starve a child to that extent. Yet this is not a unique case.

Almost everyday, newspapers carry a story of child abuse. So, It was actually not surprising the photo was accompanied by two cases of child abuse.

Only recently, the Uganda Chapter of the African Network for the Prevention Against Child Abuse and Neglect reported harrowing cases of defilement, torture, neglect, assault and trafficking faced by the Ugandan children. One of the children (the one in The New Visionphoto), a 15-year-old boy, was found dumped in a chicken room in Miralambo village in Rakai, where he had stayed for five years.

Meanwhile in Kiryankoko village in Mityana, a 14-year-old boy was found abandoned and starving in a house for over two years. These cases of torture, neglect, assault and trafficking faced by Ugandan children is a time bomb waiting to explode. There is no weapon of mass destruction like child abuse. Trouble is, we are collectively guilty of child abuse. This is one of the major social problems in the recent times. The crippling effects of child abuse are lifelong. Most abused children grow up to blame themselves for what happened to them because they believe they are the ones at fault. They hide from others in fear that someone will find out. Whether the abuse is physical, emotional, sexual, or neglect, the scars can be deep and long-lasting. Without treatment and insight, sadly, the vicious cycle of child abuse often continues.

Many of the abusive parents and caregivers, like the ones of the 15-year-old boy, insist that their son was bewitched. Yet others believe their action were simply forms of disciplinary action. But there is a big difference between giving an undisciplined child a swat on the backside and twisting the child’s arm until it breaks. It is sad that most abused children do not even report their abusers because they have been threatened that if they do, they will breakup the family or someone else will get hurt. It is very frustrating that our court system lets these criminals go free to hurt another child.

Research has proven that rehabilitation does not change perverts or prevent them from hurting someone else. In order to stop the violence, we need to expand our understanding of child abuse. Even when the evidence is strong enough, these culprits are left to walk scot-free. Why can’t these criminals spend the rest of their lives in prison?

The public needs to rise up and protest against these brutal acts and these people being let off. Don’t we have a civil obligation to protect our children? It is unfortunate that in spite of the good policies that Uganda has instituted since 1996, many gaps still exist in the policy and legal framework as regards child rights, responsibilities and obligations.

It is even more disappointing that the future generation is being sacrificed by unscrupulous businessmen. It is everybody’s duty to see that such issues are addressed by the appropriate authorities. Every child deserves a life free of fear and abuse.

The safety of children is everyone’s responsibility. It is difficult for society to acknowledge that the people we know, even good people, are potential child abusers. Child abuse has many faces and may not always be recognized by physical symptoms. Let us unite and fight child maltreatment.

The writer is the public affairs assistant at the Uganda Media Centre