Parents blame police for rise in defilement

SEX BUSE |

One of the effects of coronavirus and the lockdown in Hoima is increased defilement and early marriages.

Experts blame parents for not protecting their children enough. They say parents were not prepared for the closure of schools and so, had no idea how to keep their children busy and safe at home.

At Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, records indicate that about 200 underage girls have conceived since the start of the lockdown in March 2020. The Police and district leaders attribute the rise in the number of teenage pregnancies to defilement and early marriages.

Parents say when they report suspects who try to seduce their daughters, the Police says it is not a crime. When they elope with the girls, the Police asks for money to use in tracking the culprits. Parents now prefer to settle the cases out of court.

Case in point

A 16-year-old girl who was studying at Kakindo Secondary School in Senior Three was found at a man's mud-and-wattle house, sorting charcoal as she listened to music using earphones. She narrated her ordeal.

Apparently, she was forced to marry a 25-year-old man after he defiled her.

This teenager said after she was defiled, her parents reported the matter to Hoima Police Station. After a few days, the Police suggested that the family of the girl and the accused hold talks.

The matter was settled out o court. The man promised to pay sh5m to the parents. A deal was struck and the man was set free. But, she said, the money was not paid in cash. It is considered as a debt. 

In Mbogwe village, Mparo division, Hoima municipality, Nobert Tinka narrated how his 13-year-old daughter was kidnapped by a casual worker from his home and taken to be married in Kigorobya.

Tinka told Saturday Vision that in mid-June, a man identified as Keret Byonabye alias Derick, who was staying and working at his home, eloped with his daughter. Tinka immediately reported the matter to the Police in Kinubi. Officers asked for money to search for the girl.

Tinka also put announcements of a missing girl on radio and, two days later, he got a call from Kigorobya town council that the girl had been cited there. Byonabye was arrested with her daughter.

"The man had turned my little girl into his wife. An examination was done and the results indicated that the girl had been defiled," Tinka narrated.

He said the Police said they did not have transport. So, he footed the bill of transporting the suspect from Kigorobya to Kinubi, where he was charged with abduction.

"I was dismayed that Byonabye was not charged for defilement," he said.

Tinka said the Police in Kinubi later transferred the case to Hoima Police Station and asked him to pay for transport of the suspect to Hoima.

"I had to because I wanted justice. At Hoima Police Station, the case was handled by two Police constables only identifi ed as Adong and Kayaga. Everything seemed to move on well until they also started asking me for money to transport the suspect to Masindi to be arraigned in court," he said.

"The two Police officers told me that if I don't provide transport to take him to Masindi, I should not blame them if he escaped."

Unfortunately, when Tinka returned to Police two weeks later, he was told that the suspect escaped and the Police did not know where he was.

"I was left speechless on hearing that the man I had struggled to get arrested was left to go by the Police yet I invested in a lot of money. That even meant that my life was in danger because this man can harm us as a family," he said.

Tinka appeals to the Government and any other agencies to come to his rescue so that he can get justice. He said his daughter was put on Post Exposure Prophylaxis to protect her from HIV infection.

What local leaders say

Henry Irumba, the LCI chairperson of Kaiso Landing Site in Buseruka sub-county, Hoima district, said some parents settle defilement cases out of court because they know authorities such as the Police will demand money to follow up. 

Irumba said even when a parent pays, the case drags on until the suspect is set free.

"That is why most of the defilement and early marriage cases are not reported to the Police at all," Irumba said.

Mary Mugasa, the mayor of Hoima municipality, however, still blames some parents for the moral decay among their children, who seduce men in search for money.

She warned parents against marrying off their young daughters, saying they are likely to experience many challenges, including fistula and other complications during childbirth.

"As leaders, we need to sit and reflect how best we can reverse the trend. Otherwise the future is dark," Mugasa said.

Tophus Kaahwa Byagira, the Kikuube district Woman MP, said whoever is involved in such acts must be dealt with.

"We continue to see acts of defilement and early marriages in our community because the perpetrators are not punished as the law recommends," Kaahwa said.

Samuel Kisembo, the Hoima resident district commissioner, said the Police must clarify to the community how such cases are handled and ensure that their officers follow the set procedures.

"This is unacceptable and the Police must investigate themselves. Otherwise such acts will continue in the community because the culprits go unpunished," he said.

Andrew Byakutaga, the Bunyoro Kitara kingdom prime minister, said the parents have the primary role of protecting their children as the Kinyoro culture requires.

"The onus of nurturing children falls squarely on the parents and the immediate communities where these children live. Children need to know that all people have the duty to shape their behaviour and through this, acts of defilement may reduce," Byakutaga said.

What the police says

Deo Obura, the Albertine region Police commander, said the claims of corruption against the Police are regrettable and cannot be allowed to flourish in the institution.

"The Police does not condone such acts. I am going to investigate the matter to ensure justice prevails. I will specifically probe this case of Tinka and his 13-year-old girl. My officers conniving to obstruct justice is grave matter and as an institution, we cannot condone it. All Police officers implicated must be investigated," he said.

However, Obura said some parents need to be extra careful with their children, especially during this lockdown period where they are at home most of the time. He said parents must be aware that while it took a village to raise a child in the past, these days it is a one-family show.