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Mental health fueling extreme violence in Kampala slums
The assistant commissioner of guidance at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance Mr Jonah Bakalikwira chats with the Executive Director of AFFCAD Ms Prudence Atukwatse. Photo | Paul Adude
What you need to know:
- The coordinator AFFCAD Ms Doris Namatovu said the skyrocketing youth unemployment and biting poverty also come with frustration which is easily translated into violence.
The Executive Director of Action for Fundamental Change And Development (AFFCAD) Ms Prudence Atukwatse has said that poor mental health resulting from frustration, lack of hope and positive thinking has led to youths in Kampala slums engaging in violent extremist activities.
“We have had incidences of very young people experiencing instances of stress, depression and trauma as a result of what they have gone through with the most recent incidence being the outbreak of COVID-19, which saw direct confrontation between the youth and security agencies as they were trying to enforce which affected their livelihoods,” she said.
Ms Atukwatse made the remarks on Tuesday during a review meeting on the prevention of violent extremism among youths in Kampala slums under the “Civilians Protection Opportunity Fund”.
“This is mainly done through hate speech, this should stop since we need to tap the positive energies of young people and utilise them very well. We are going to continue training the youth, sensitizing them about how they can identify acts of violent extremism so that they understand that peace is a value that they should uphold throughout their lifetime,” she said.
Ms Atukwatse said youth involvement in violent extremism especially during election times in Uganda has been occasioned with tragic outcomes and continues to pose not only a threat to peace but the security of the nation.
The assistant commissioner of Guidance at the Ministry of ICT/National Guidance Mr Jonah Bakalikwira said the government put up a structure in place to develop a strategy for preventing and encountering violent extremism which has got all pillars.
“We realised there is an information gap, the youth and community at large maybe not be getting the necessary information about this drive. Communities must engage with each other devoid of whatever group they associate with ideologically, religiously, culturally to talk to each other and preach the message of peace then we shall avert violent extremism,” he said.
The coordinator AFFCAD Ms Doris Namatovu said the skyrocketing youth unemployment and biting poverty also come with frustration which is easily translated into violence.
