The high rate of poverty in the country has caused vices like forced marriage, child marriage, child labor, and school dropouts. According to statistics from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development physical violence was the most prevalent form of violence experienced in children with 6 in 10 females, 7 in 10 males have experienced this violence in childhood.
“Instead of us going to school our friends are in sugarcane plantations working there, some are fetching water, and some are just seated even at home playing matatu. So you find that we are being affected by this but the government officials have just looked on.” Said Nanyumba Majid – Pupil. “Girls are going in for early marriage and sometimes they are being forced by their parents, sometimes they go because of the situation at home and the main reason as why they go into this marriage is that they look at the situation that is at home; no school fees.” Said, Rita Rebecca – Pupil. “If the rain comes for us we study outside, that day there is no studying. And now some of us we are in P.7. Now how can the government do it to build main halls for us to study from?” Said, Kyamanya Mathew – Pupil. “When the boy saw a girl and said that you come here I will give 100 or 2,000. If the girls here that one they say that yes because she is hungry and our parents didn’t give us food to eat.”
The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development launched the first ever National Learning Event of Child Well-being in partnership with several children, World Vision, and Early Childhood Development. While presenting her keynote address, she noted that the Minister for Youth and Children Affairs Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi agreed that the government was aware of the challenges affecting these children but pushed the blame to parents who neglect adolescent children.
“The mothers that you find giving birth every year, chances are that in those families the adolescents in those families are completely neglected. So we want to take care of the crisis in the home by assisting the mothers get through the child bearing period which we want as a country because it’s the only way of growing the nation. But also we encourage that once we delay the school program then automatically child marriages will be reduced.” Said, Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi – Minister for Youth and Children Affairs. The two-day National Learning Event on Child Well-being ran under the THEME: APPLYING LEGAL AND POLICY FRAMEWORKS FOR IMPROVED CHILD WELLBEING.
