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930 girls and young mothers employed in bars in Ibanda
930 girls and young mothers employed in bars in Ibanda
What you need to know:
- A young woman, Jackline, 22 is a mother of one child. She was in senior three when she got pregnant with a school boy who later denied her. After giving birth, she left the child with her mother and got a job in a bar.
- Scovia, 21, who works at a club in Ibanda municipality as a bar attendant told Daily Monitor her story.
“I left school while in P6 because my mother died and my father married another woman. My father could not give me money for school fees, or pads or clothes. - Mr Justus Ahimbisibwe, the director for Foundation for Youth Development said they are looking for donors to help sponsor girls who drop out of school to acquire skills which they can rely on as opposed to working in bars.
At least 70 per cent of girls who drop out of school in Ibanda end up by working in bars while others practice prostitution. The statistics are contained in a recent survey carried out by Foundation for Youth Development a local NGO operating in Ibanda District.
The survey visited 310 bars and found that 930 girls and young mothers work as barmaids in Ibanda municipality, Igorora trading centre and Ishongorero town council. Twelve per cent of the girls said they are working hard to earn money to look after their children while 30 per cent testified of being sold off by their employees as sex workers.
Speaking during the fundraising dinner for the construction of a girls’ hostel at Marianne Skills Centre at Hotel Green Orchard in Ibanda town, over the weekend, Mr Justus Ahimbisibwe, the director for Foundation for Youth Development said they are looking for donors to help sponsor girls who drop out of school to acquire skills which they can rely on as opposed to working in bars.
Scovia, 21, who works at a club in Ibanda municipality as a bar attendant told Daily Monitor her story.
“I left school while in P6 because my mother died and my father married another woman. My father could not give me money for school fees, or pads or clothes. I decided to look for a job and ended landing a small job in a bar,” she says. Scovia explains that after the day’s duty, she then looks out for a man who can buy her supper, and she spends the night with him, for Shs10,000.
Another young woman, Jackline, 22 is a mother of one child. She was in senior three when she got pregnant with a school boy who later denied her. After giving birth, she left the child with her mother and got a job in a bar. She says, “I have worked in different bars as a bar attendant, and at times I prepare beds in the lodges.” She states that she spends a night with drivers travelling long distances who come to buy produce in Ibanda District and is paid Shs30,000 for her services.
Officiating at the event of the construction, Lt. Ninsiima Rwemijuma , a UPDF Spokesperson Central region warned the youth against living such a dangerous life. He advised the parents to do the needful for their children rather than sending them to look for the money by selling their bodies. “They end up getting the deadly diseases and the parents spend a lot of money while meeting their medical bills which are too expensive,” he said.
