MPs want parents selling K'jong girls arrested

May 01, 2019

he MPs who include legislators from Karamoja region are also pushing for a law on street children to curtail the trafficking of children from Karamojo to Kampala.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

KAMPALA - Members of Parliament under the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Children have drafted a motion for a resolution of parliament to end the clandestine sale of Karimajong girls at the Arapai market in Soroti district.

The MPs who include legislators from Karamoja region are also pushing for a law on street children to curtail the trafficking of children from Karamojo to Kampala for street begging.

On February 25, 2019, a local television ran an investigative documentary titled Humans for Sale where teenage Karimajong girls are trafficked to Soroti district and are sold for as little sh20, 000 and sh50, 000.

According to the documentary which was screened for the MPs at Parliament during a breakfast meeting, the girls are sold during the market day which falls on every Thursday of the week at the Arapai market in Soroti district and taken to unknown places.

"What featured in this documentary is 100% correct. If we leaders don't take immediate action, this vice is going to spread to the whole country, the police should investigate this matter and arrest those parents promoting it," Andrew Koluo, MP Toroma county said.

 aramojong street beggars relax with their children along inja oad in ampala Karamojong street beggars relax with their children along Jinja Road in Kampala

 
The alleged sale of girls at Arapai market came to light and picked up as an area for investigation by the media after a local Non-Government Organization (NGO)-Dwelling Places shared a presentation on findings from the district roundtable discussions in eight districts along Kampala-Moroto pathway on ending all forms of child trafficking and unsafe migration.

The organisation listed the districts including Kampala, Jinja, Iganga, Mbale Soroti, Busia Tororo, and Napak. It is not clear how many children are sold off in broad daylight at the Arapai market.

"Uganda is becoming a hot spot for labour and child trafficking. Many of our girls are being trafficked to the Arab world through borders such as Kenya; it is high time we dealt with this problem," Esther Anyakun, the Nakapiripirit0 district woman MP said.

Damon Wamara, the country director Dwelling Places implored parliament and the government at large to take action against the vice to protect the girl child.

He expressed disappointment that since February when the investigative story on the Sale of Girls was first aired, no action has been taken by the government.

"I'm very happy to see MPs and not the CSOs pushing for this motion. It is disheartening to see parents selling off their own children to get money. We have seen people surviving with the little they have, so why sell off children," Wamara asked.

He said the organisation has on several occasions held sensitisation meeting with street children communities in Karamoja region, but parents continue to send their children to Kampala to beg for money on streets.

During the meeting, 12-year-old Majorine Nabisaso, a primary seven pupil of Kitebi Primary School amazed MPs when she attributed the increasing number of children on streets to what she described as poor parenting and lack of time for children.

"Some parents don't want to give quality time to their children; all they care about is work. They don't want to listen to our problems when a parent gives money to their children; they think all is well," Nabisaso said.

On his part Bruno Muwuluzi, a student at Uplands High School said many children have abandoned their homes as a result of families breaking up. He implored the government to equip children rehabilitation centres with education facilities to enable them to acquire education.

As a way forward, the MPs asked the government to address challenges such as poverty and unemployment among Ugandans, which they said are some of the push and pull factors fueling the street children challenge.

"As a country, we need to wholeheartedly tackle the issue of street children, all major towns in the country are scattered with street children," Atiku Bernard, the chairperson Parliamentary forum on Children said.

In the next 2019/20 financial year budget, the labour and gender ministry is seeking for approval of sh3.4b to get Karamoja kids off the street.

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