On Saturday morning, NBS Television visited the Observer Newspaper offices located at Crescent. It is here that we met Prisca Baike one of the few women that have broken silence on the pain that comes with repeated domestic violence.within her scenario has been coupled with denial to meet her two children. “It was coming close to the end of the second term because I remember my daughter was doing exams and my son was terribly sick I had just gone to visit them like I used to do every weekend. Only to find my son very sick and I sent an email and they told me to take that week and take care of him. So on Thursday that week, I get a call from a teacher that the girl had been taken.” Said, Prisca Baike – Journalist.
What started like a would be a happy family in the year 2013 had more to present than just her expectations. “...moved out of the house and then called a friend Leila Mirembe who was on her way to work had to park her car, come and drive me to her home. I stayed there until I found my own place and my kids were taken to Mbale that day.” With this action, Prisca Baike’s troubles had just started, this was followed by Court processes that later gave Prisca’s husband Wellington Ssekidde full custody of their two children.
But what is put into consideration before Courts to give custody of children in Uganda? “It is subject to the welfare principle which what is best for the child. If being with the mother has a likelihood of injuring the growth of the child and by the growth, we are talking about physical and psychological then they will say let the child be with the father.” Said, Julius Galisonga – Lawyer.
According to Julius Galisonga a renowned lawyer, even when a decision is taken all is not lost, the decision can be reversed. “Yes, if Court has made a decision, of course, that decision depending on the circumstances. If a parent feels those circumstances have changed for example if the mother is homeless or if the father is homeless and the Court has made a decision on account of homelessness of one of the parents, once the parent settles down and finds a home then you can always go back to Court.” A phone call to Wellington did not confirm if indeed he assaulted his wife but pointed to the fact that Prisca had not seen her children for close to three months.
Statistics from the Uganda Police 2017 show that in 2010 alone 109 women died of domestic violence in Uganda compared to 163 women in the year 2016.
