Rising child prostitution worries Bugiri activists

By Donald Kiirya

BUGIRI - Human rights activists in Bugiri district are concerned about the continued rise in trafficking of underage girls into commercial sex.

During a recent meet, the group said young girls are trafficked from various sub-counties to trading centres under the disguise of being given jobs – but are instead forced into prostitution.

The five-day workshop was organized by Platform for Labour Action (PLA) – an NGO that promotes and protects labour rights

Attracting dozens of human rights supporters, from Bugiri and Iganga, the workshop was organized to raise awareness on matters of vulnerable and marginalized workers and how their rights can be protected.

 “Women who do the prostitution business go into villages and pick up young girls between the age of 13 and 17 after convincing their parents that they are going to get them jobs,” said Salama Bifuna, one of the activists.

“They [girls] instead end up in small rooms of various lodges in trading centers along the Jinja-Bugiri where they are forced to sell their bodies to long-distance truck drivers.”

Zulaika Nakagolo from Bugiri said these girls are at the risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).


‘Could not believe what I saw’
 

true
The acting Bugiri district labour officer, Meddie Kagooma Kisubi speaks during the meeting. (Credit: Donald Kiirya)

To avert this crisis, the human rights supporter called on local leaders to work hand-in-hand with Non-Governmental Organizations like PLA geared towards fighting human trafficking in order to reduce cases of child abuse and human trafficking.

The acting Bugiri district labour officer, Meddie Kagooma Kisubi, noted that in the financial year ending (2014/2015), 122 girls below the age of 18 were forced into commercial sex by women who conduct the prostitution business in the district.

According to Kagooma, the vice is rampant in Namayemba town board, Naluwerere Trading Center, Busowa, Muterere, Nankoma, Bulyaiyobyo and Wakawaka landing sites in Bugiri district.

“One day, I was doing my investigations in Busowa town board about trafficking of girls and I could not believe with what I saw. I saw girls of the age of 13 years doing prostitution at about 9.00pm,” said the district official.

He found about six young girls in one room of a certain lodge in the trading center waiting for customers and after selling their bodies, it’s their [the girls’] bosses they pay; not the girls.

Kagooma blamed the existence of this vice on poverty, lack of basic needs for guardians and parents at household level, bad cultural practices, illiteracy and ignorance on the laws governing human trafficking.

He said local governments at the sub-county level need to come up with a bylaw to arrest community members who engage in trafficking of underage girls and forcing them into commercial sex businesses.

Isaac Arinaitwe, who is PLA’s program officer, said they have distributed Tukkanye kits that contain information on preventive measures of human trafficking and sex trafficking.  

The Tukkanye kits, he said, will guide Human Rights Advocates on how to solve labour disputes, child labour, handling human trafficking, teaching informal and formal workers their rights and all other pertinent issues.



Also related to this story

From Busia to Lugazi, HIV trails the trucks

Trading HIV across the different borders