BY JOACKIM KULE
Kasese District Local Government has picked interest in finding out the causes of increasing cases of incest and other forms of violence against children across the district.
However, Munkunyu Sub-county has been given a priority because it has been identified as the leading lower local government in registering high cases of incest and gender based violence.
Information from the Sub-county Community Development Office indicates that from January to May this year, 218 cases of violence against women and children have been registered.
Mr. Benjamin Omega, the Sub-county Social Welfare Officer says they registered 116 cases of child neglect, 84 cases of gender based violence, 06 cases of defilement, 05 cases of child disappearance, 03 cases of early marriages, 02 cases of child abandonment, 01 case of child denial and 01 case of procuring defilement.
However, Mr. Omega noted that other cases go unreported because the residents do not know the procedures of reporting.
Following the trend of cases in the lower local government, Mr. Elias Byamungu, the Kasese District Chief Administrative Officer was forced to hold a dialogue meeting with the local leaders last evening at the Sub-county Headquarters.
At the meeting, the local leaders told the Chief Administrative Officer that the increased cases of violence against children are caused by a number of factors ranging from poverty, drug abuse and witchcraft among others.
Mr. Enos Buyingo, the Sub-county Vice Chairperson told the meeting that cases of gender based violence might be allegedly perpetrated by the emerging religions whose doctrine is yet to be studied.
Mr. Yoledi Syanjuruka, the Local Council II Chairperson for Kabingo Parish attributed the increased cases of incest in the sub-county to the alleged denial of sex by the wives to their husbands.
Mr. Sezi Baluku Police, the Munkunyu Sub-county Chairperson who confirmed to the CAO that the cases being talked about are really happening, however, attributed them to the terrain where most people are not accessed to community policing.
Responding to the concerns from the community leaders, Mr. Byamungu strongly condemned the acts of incest and gender based violence, arguing that they are evils in the society.
He encouraged the leaders to sensitize the communities about the dangers of those abnormalities. According to him, they transmit genital diseases.
However, a Civil Society Activist, Mr. Ronald Kato, who also doubles as the Executive Director for Kasese Youth Link for Development appealed to the government to address the challenge of water scarcity, arguing that other girls are violated against due to the long distances trekked to the water sources.
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