Stop taking family matters to police, Tooro Kingdom advises couples

Tooro Kingdom's Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Gender, Culture, and Clan Mobilisation, Ms Harriet Nyakake, has urged married couples to avoid seeking solutions to problems faced in families from police and courts of law.

“Stop rushing to courts and police to settle family matters, let us use our cultural norms and practices to address some of the issues. Running to a court or police is a shame,” she said.

Ms Nyakake made remarks on Thursday during a stakeholders’ meeting aimed at addressing violence against women and girls in Tooro Kingdom.

“If you want to rush to court or police to settle your family problems then always invite them at the time you are getting married, because only our cultural norms take precedence during such functions. We need to start using our clans to address such issues emerging in our families,” she added.

The Kingdom expressed its commitment to partnering with NGOs like the Kogere Foundation and the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda to address vice.

Ms Nyakake cautioned against the wholesale adoption of Western cultural practices within Tooro, asserting that such practices often clash with the Kingdom's norms.

SP Agnes Angom, the head of the child and family protection unit at Fort Portal Central Police Station, noted that over 140 cases are registered every month in Tooro areas.

“Men are also now reporting such cases of domestic violence. This is attributed to household poverty and neglect of familial duties, but we must keep sensitizing these people,” she said.

Ms Barbra Babweteera, Director of the Cross-Cultural Foundation Uganda, expressed optimism about using cultural values to end violence against women and girls.

“Upholding cultural values is essential to achieving development within families and the country at large, this will eventually eliminate GBV cases in our areas,” she said.

Tooro Kingdom's Youth Minister, Mr Patrick Kamulindwa, drew attention to the need to protect the rights of both girl-child and boy-child, noting that men also face challenges in their homes although it is not a habit of them to report such cases.