Koboko District is struggling to contain cases of child abuse which are reportedly skyrocketing in the area. The district registered 414 cases of Violence against Children over the past four month.
These include150 cases of physical violence, 130 cases of child neglect, 81 cases involving children in conflict with the law, 25 cases of defilement, 11 cases of rape, 11 cases of child abandonment and six cases of child to child sex.
Zumurat Vujeru, the District Probation Officer says the situation is disturbing. According to Vujeru the cases might be much higher with some going unrecorded or concealed by the parents and leaders. She, however, blamed the situation on the breakdown of the family systems.
The report comes just days after a primary five Pupil of Nyarilo primary school in Koboko Municipality was arrested for attempting to bury her newly born baby alive in Dikasinga cell, North division.
Mary Atayi, the Secretary for Community Services Koboko District says there is need to revert to communal upbringing of children in order to address such issues. She says the change from communal to current individual parenting has mainly caused more harm than good.
Meanwhile, Koboko District Community Liaison Officer Inspector of Police Millad Dravu has rallied parents to take up their roles in providing basic needs if this trend is to be reversed in the District
According to the Children Act 2016 as amended, every child has a right to be protected against all forms of violence including sexual abuse and exploitation, child sacrifice, child labour, child marriage, child trafficking, institutional abuse, female genital mutilation, and any other form of physical and emotional abuse.