Stigma and Public Attitude

Following the high crime rate in Uganda today, effort should focus to families/ children of suspects/offenders. People sentenced to death or executed are often viewed negatively by the public. Their children and children's "careers" are frequently stigmatized by associations, and this stigma may continue even after execution with children identified with their dead parents.

Stigma may be because of the offence or because of the sentence. Certain offences are particularly stigmatizing; depending on the country, these may include Murder, terrorism, adultery, incest, etc. Stigma can come from the public in general or from specific groups; In some jurisdictions, the most extreme or demoralizing language comes from prosecutors as a way of dehumanizing the suspect and encouraging use of the death penalty.

Negative attitude may even come from other families of persons sentenced to death, where adults in particular may regard their family as respectable but others as trustworthy ‘criminals'. In some cases, community feeling about the (alleged) offence can result in mob justice or individuals talking revenge against the (alleged) offender or their family. This can be linked to suspicions or claims that the family is involved in other stigmatized activities, such as witchcraft. Community hostility may be so great that families go into hiding or move to a different area where they are not known.

Children learn to isolate themselves and not to talk about the situation even denying if it's asked. Such self censorship can last for years even after the execution, potentially becoming a lifelong taboo that is kept even from intimate partners.

Children may not receive support that would benefit them, either because they do not seek it (due to actual or perceived hostility towards their situation) or because it is not available. Where systems exist to support families' of crime victims, they generally do not extend to the offender's family. Who are not perceived as victims. The disparity may extend to information: there have been instances where the family of a murder victim has been informed of an upcoming execution but not the offenders' family.

Schools, with existing research have found that it has a major impact on lives and wellbeing of children of prisoners, who can also be a source of stigma or support for children of parents sentenced to death. There are reports of school authorities being concerned that children of parents on death row will get into fights and consequently forcing them to leave school; providing staff with information about the situation and needs of these children may help to counter such attitudes and enable staff to better provide support.

Today the media is believed to have the major impact on public attitudes and language around any topic of discussion in the country and when we talk about death penalty, it can as well take lead. The use of demoralizing language (of both the suspect/offender and of the offence) and of sensational or intrusive reporting can create or increase public hostility.

Depictions of death row and executions non-news media (particularly in television programmes) can re-traumatize families. In firms only "bad" people tend to be executed: this may confuse younger children. Call upon all stake holders to discourage the use of dehumanizing language and support non- sensational descriptions of events and testimonies.

Such efforts may be important on social media and other electronic media where the current generation is officially getting its communication. We can as well have self- regulating rules especially in children. And most importantly, sensititize the public about the impact of a parental death sentence on children by providing information about their general information.

Isabella Bwiire

Works with the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI)