COVID-19: 15 million children assaulted during lockdown

COVID-19 | LOCKDOWN | ASSAULT 

More than half of Uganda’s children experienced physical or psychological violence from their guardians during the first lockdown, a 2021 report conducted by a coalition of child rights non-governmental organisations has revealed. 

The implication of this, according to experts, is that Uganda risks having a generation of abusers soon if the current trends continue. 

The forms of physical violence include slapping, punching and kicking, among others. 

Psychological aggression, on the other hand, involves threatening to send children away from home, yelling and using abusive language, among others. 

The findings from Joining Forces, a coalition of child rights non-governmental organisations, indicated that 61.4% (15.5 million) children in Uganda were either assaulted or experienced emotional anguish at the hands of their parents or guardians. 

These findings were captured in October and November 2020. 

Whereas parents and guardians may look at this as a form of instilling discipline, Damon Wamara, the executive director of the Uganda Child Rights NGO Network, said all forms of violence against children witnessed have dire consequences on their lives. 

Wamara made the remarks while speaking to journalists at their offices in Ntinda, Kampala. 

Social media has been awash with video clips showing children being physically assaulted or sexually abused by parents or their caregivers.

The latest incidents that went viral, were of a 10-year-old boy, who was assaulted by his mother and a six-year-old who was defiled by a teacher.

While the penal code Act provides for death as a punishment for cases such as defilement, Wamara said most perpetrators of violence against children often walk away scot-free. 

It is against this background that child rights experts have tasked government with strengthening child protection structures through recruiting more probation and social welfare officers and facilitating them adequately to handle cases of violence against children. 

“We saw many cases of domestic violence during the lockdown and this mostly stems from the fact that we have socialised and accepted violence as a way of living. When our children grow up seeing violence, they will become adults that perpetuate violence,” Timothy Opobo, the executive director for Africhild Centre, said. 

Opobo said although the country has made progress on laws and policies, cases of violence against children have escalated. 

“We are aware that many of our parents are going through a lot of challenges as they grapple with inflation, but there is a correlation between what is going on and the violence that children are experiencing,” he said. 

Long-term trauma 

Janet Kantalama Katana, a psychologist working with Safe Places-Uganda, said children who experience violence from parents live with long-term effects of trauma. 

“They are fearful, guarded and anxious and these may manifest in behaviour, such as bedwetting, thumb sucking, crying or not crying at all, rage, low esteem and poor performance in school,” Katana said. 

She explained that these kinds of children often seclude themselves or grow up to become loners and, in extreme conditions, may engage in risky sexual behaviour or self-harm. 

“In the long run, these children may become adult abusers and are at a higher risk of being emotionally unstable,” she added. 

Positive discipline 

Hope Wambi, the advocacy manager for preventing violence against children at Raising Voices, urged parents to adopt non-violent ways of disciplining children. 

“There is a difference between punishment and discipline. Discipline is not something that is reactionary. It starts right before a child misbehaves,” she said. 

Wambi encouraged schools and families to let children know what constitutes indiscipline. 

Positive discipline, she explained, helps children know what is expected of them in that even in the absence of an adult, they will desist from doing wrong.