300 underage girls married in Jinja
Oct 04, 2009
OVER 300 underage girls get married in Butagaya and Buyengo sub-counties of Jinja district every year. The survey was carried out by the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN).
By Charles Kakamwa
OVER 300 underage girls get married in Butagaya and Buyengo sub-counties of Jinja district every year. The survey was carried out by the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN).
The programme manager of ANPPCAN, Jimmy Obbo, said this during an operation against child sexual abusers on Wednesday. This was after five girls dropped out of school after getting pregnant.
Two of the girls aged between 14 and 17 years have already given birth while the other three are due early next year.
One of the girls, a 17-year-old in senior one has a three-months-old baby.
She was allegedly impregnated by her cousin.
The operation by ANPPCAN and the Police netted Charles Balaba, who a 14-year-old claimed was responsible for her six-month pregnancy.
A Primary Five drop out told the Police that Balaba slept with her thrice after giving her sh1,500. The parents of the girls were also arrested for failure to report the defilement cases and protecting the suspects.
The Police are hunting for Isaac Mulongo, Fred Bucha and a fisherman, Lugombo Kulaba, who were implicated by other girls.
During the same operation, about 20 children were rounded up after they were found cutting sugarcane and tending rice gardens during class hours.
They were taken to the sub-county headquarters and released after their parents signed written agreements with ANPPCAN that they would never engage their children in labour.
Obbo warned parents against exposing their children to sexual abuse and depriving them of education through labour. He said the operations would continue to other sub-counties in the district.
OVER 300 underage girls get married in Butagaya and Buyengo sub-counties of Jinja district every year. The survey was carried out by the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN).
The programme manager of ANPPCAN, Jimmy Obbo, said this during an operation against child sexual abusers on Wednesday. This was after five girls dropped out of school after getting pregnant.
Two of the girls aged between 14 and 17 years have already given birth while the other three are due early next year.
One of the girls, a 17-year-old in senior one has a three-months-old baby.
She was allegedly impregnated by her cousin.
The operation by ANPPCAN and the Police netted Charles Balaba, who a 14-year-old claimed was responsible for her six-month pregnancy.
A Primary Five drop out told the Police that Balaba slept with her thrice after giving her sh1,500. The parents of the girls were also arrested for failure to report the defilement cases and protecting the suspects.
The Police are hunting for Isaac Mulongo, Fred Bucha and a fisherman, Lugombo Kulaba, who were implicated by other girls.
During the same operation, about 20 children were rounded up after they were found cutting sugarcane and tending rice gardens during class hours.
They were taken to the sub-county headquarters and released after their parents signed written agreements with ANPPCAN that they would never engage their children in labour.
Obbo warned parents against exposing their children to sexual abuse and depriving them of education through labour. He said the operations would continue to other sub-counties in the district.