UGANDA | CSO | CHILDREN | INJUSTICES

Vice President Maj. (RTD) Jesca Alupo has lauded efforts by civil society organizations (CSOs) to end injustices against children.

 Speaking during the 5th girl's summit organized by Girls Not Brides Uganda in Kampala, Alupo stressed that all citizens and leaders must ensure that each child is protected from sexual abuse to allow them to grow up healthy, educated, and safe from violence.

 “As a government, we thank the Girls Not Brides Partnership, co-chaired by Joy for Children and World Vision Uganda, for your commitment to ending child marriage and enabling children to live to fulfill their potential,” said Alupo.

Babrah Namara the focal person for GNBU at Girls not brides posing for the photo with the girls as they wait for vice president.

 She observed that Child marriage denies children, most especially girls’ rights to health, education, and security and is one of the most known forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) among girls.

“No child is physically or emotionally ready to become a husband, wife, or parent. Sadly, Uganda is ranked as one of the countries with high rates of early and forced marriages, “she said.

Available statistics indicate that 10% of girls are married off before the age of 15 and 40% of girls are married off before their 18th birthday meaning, 50% of the population’s girls are forced into underage marriage!

“It is critical that we address the root causes of child, early and forced marriages which include; poverty, gender inequality, gender-based discrimination, gender stereotypes and social norms that condone gender inequality, and other harmful practices, “she said.

The Vice president Maj. (RTD) Jesca Alupo arriving to launch the girls summit at Hotel Africana.

She revealed that the revised guidelines for the prevention and management of adolescent pregnancy in school settings in Uganda (2020) have been implemented to incorporate teenage mothers' rights to education.

Moses Ntenga the Director of Girls Not Brides said the girl’s summit is a platform aimed at mobilizing actors and leaders to commit to ending child marriages.

“Every year, things change, children grow, and new ones come, We need to continue having a space where new people, can be oriented about the issues affecting girls, especially child marriages.

That is why every year, during the sixteen days of activism, we convene the National Girls Summits to be able to continue organizing stakeholders and other individuals to focus on and continue to commit to ending child marriages because the number is so high.

The Director Girls not Brides posing for a photo with the girls as they wait to for the vice presidfent.

According to Ntenga, about 24% of married people now especially women were married when they were below the age of 18.

The chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Mariam Wangadya, said the summit is one of the platforms for a wider space for girls' specialized focus and protection.

Wangadya called for equal protection of the law because girls transform society and makeup 50% of the population globally.

“What we call child marriage is sex slavery because the girls don’t know what they are entering into, this is a violation of human rights and it is a crime of defilement causing grievance bodily harm to children, “she said.