We need to end child torture now
Christopher Kalyebi was burnt by his father in Butebo in over stealing vegetable soup. PHOTO/MUDANGHA KOLYANGHA
What you need to know:
The issue:
Child torture.
Our view:
With the laws already in place, and structures such as Children and Family Protection Unit and family court up and running, authorities need to interrogate why aggravated child torture persists.
On Thursday, this newspaper ran a story of a father in Butebo District who set his 12-year-old son ablaze over consuming vegetable soup reserved for an evening meal.
The Primary Two pupil, who had returned from school and consumed what was left in the saucepan, was tied up with a rope, wrapped with dry banana leaves then set on fire. He was only saved by neighbours, but by this time he was severely burnt right from the head, the back and almost the entire skin was peeling off.
Police say the suspect and his wife, the victim’s stepmother, are on the run. The offence of aggravated torture of a child in Uganda carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Sadly, such cases of aggravated child torture are not new in Uganda. Two weeks ago, police in Bushenyi District arrested a 20-year-old woman on allegations of torturing her stepdaughter to death. The suspect is said to have thrown the five-year-old on the floor before hitting her with a sharp object that damaged her skull.
This comes hot on the heels of another case that has put Uganda in the limelight in which an American couple is accused of aggravated torture of a 10-year-old boy in their care. The boy was one of three children fostered by the couple, who arrived in Uganda in 2017 to volunteer at a non-profit organisation in Jinja before moving to a Kampala suburb.
In November 2021, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Martins Okoth-Ochola came out to condemn the increasing acts of aggravated child abuse and torture. It followed several videos showing young children being battered, trampled upon, and mistreated by parents, guardians and caretakers.
According to Unicef, most children in Uganda have experienced physical violence that threatens and halts their holistic and positive development – 59 percent of girls and 68 percent of boys. Gender-based violence and sexual violence are also pervasive, with some 35 percent of girls and 17 percent of boys having experienced sexual violence during childhood.
With the laws already in place, and structures such as the Police Children and Family Protection Unit and family court up and running, authorities need to interrogate why aggravated child torture persists.
Children are the most vulnerable group in our communities and torture leaves deep scars in them – both physical and psychological – that sometimes last a lifetime. We need to save our children and end child torture be it at home, school, or in the communities.
