Following a police report that 191 girls were defiled between March and May 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown period in Bunyoro Sub-region, child activists have asked all women to get up and protect and prevent girls from sexual abuse.
Ms Catherine Kamanyire Kobusinge, the Coordinator for Hoima Network for Child Rights Club (HONECRIC) describes women as key players in child protection.
Speaking to Kazi-njema News, the coordinator said that women have a couple of major roles at domestic level that can protect and prevent girl children from joining peer groups that expose them to teenage pregnancies and marriages.
She advises women to keep girl children occupied with work but not child labour, being friendly to them, monitoring their age changes to determine their needs and have their fathers involved in case they are available to ably provide them with basic needs that normally push girls to boyfriends and businessmen.
Ms Kobusinge also advises wives to always endure the marital challenges they encounter than separating leaving behind their teenage daughters with their fathers and other male relatives at home who end up defiling them.
According to her, teaching children to know that everything good comes from one’s brains and sweat replaced with sexual intercourse exchange is crucial towards their protection.
The coordinator adds that facts of life and dangers associated with reckless lifestyle is another important way to guard against during and after the lockdown.
However, Ms Kobusinge says that men, the government and non-governmental organisations should not neglect their roles in protecting and preventing girl children against sexual abuse if the country is to have an elite female community.
This website interviewed her:
