An illustration depicting a man trying to lure a young girl into sleeping with him. Many teenage girls find themselves pregnant as a result of defilement, rape or incest. Illustration by Cosmas Arinaitwe.
A 16-year-old girl who accused two police officers of gang defiling her on August 17 on the eve of an annual cultural event in Buyende District has spoken out, narrating her ordeal to Monitor.
Joan* (not real name since she is a minor) said she left her mother’s home to witness a Miss Busoga beauty contest which was graced by Busoga King (Kyabazinga) William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV.
Joan, who is now among the 2,341 Primary Seven (P7) candidates who sat the November 6-7 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) told Monitor that her parents had discouraged her from the event.
“My parents warned me against the event, but I was yearning to see the kyabazinga physically because I had been seeing him on television,’’ she noted.
Kagulu Rock in Miru Village, Kagulu Sub-county, Buyende District. PHOTO/SAM CALEB OPIO
Joan recalls that she was gang defiled following chaotic scenes that erupted during Miss Busoga tourism finals, which were part of pre-activities ahead of the Kagulu Hill climbing challenge in Buyende District.
“As chaos intensified, police swung into action to stop a group of unruly who stormed a pavilion and disrupted the pageant,’’ Joan said.
She added: “In the process of fleeing the scene in the wee hours of the night, I found three police officers who disguised as Good Samaritans offering to escort me home.
According to her, two officers who have since been arrested, forcefully defiled her- one after the other.
“There is nothing that pains me more than losing my virginity in such painful circumstances. I’d vowed to abstain from sex in honor of the last advice my grandmother told me minutes before she died,” a visibly emotional Joan said.
The victim added that “virginity loss will eternally hurt and haunt her until she joins her grandmother in heaven,” whom she will tell that “It was unavoidable.”
However, Joan insists that all hope is not lost as she now dreams of becoming a medical worker, inspired by swift response from medics that prevented her from conceiving and contracting HIV/Aids.
“I was given emergency contraception (ECP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). I thank the health workers who gave me urgent attention and I was able to sit my PLE successfully after receiving psychosocial support,’’ she added.
Urging justice, Joan Akullo (not real name for purposes of victim protection) claimed that the officers who were reportedly detained in line with the offense were transferred to another police station.
Akullo further accused police of not taking swabs of the suspects for scientific analysis under the disguise of protecting police’s image.
“Justice delayed is of course justice denied. My daughter is now settled and focused on her future with help from Busoga Kingdom and Korea International Cooperation Agency but I still –only- want justice to prevail,” she told Monitor on Wednesday.
When contacted to comment on the claims, Busoga North Police spokesperson Michael Kasadha said the girl and her parents will gradually find justice.
“We acted fast and took the swabs, but we are still waiting for the results from the Analytical Lab to proceed,” Kasadha explained.
Under the Ugandan law, defilement attracts severe penalties including long-term prison sentences.
