- School heads admit that sexual violence does exist even with the available laws against the vice.
- Players advise that schools put up structures and policies aimed at protecting children from being sexually harassed.
The 2022 police annual crime report shows that twelve thousand seven hundred eighty cases of defilement were recorded of these, twelve thousand seven hundred forty victims were girls.
The figures are worrying and have pushed different players to speak up. Tabitha Suubi the Program Manager Violence Against Children Prevention at Raising voices advises that schools put up structures and policies aimed at protecting children from being sexually harassed.
“It is very rampart both in primary and secondary schools, ministry of education issues the teachers’ code of conduct but head teachers need to regularly reorient teachers about it, schools need to create policies around protecting children against sexual violence with in schools and also have vocal points where children feel safe to report and trust them and respond to them” ,Suubi states.
The Principal St Andrew Kaggwa Gombe High School Kawaala who is also a parent Lillian Nanyonjo admits that sexual violence does exist in schools attributing the vice to excessive exposure among children among others.
“This is a generation where we have a child possessing a phone as early as four years and with technology, they get highly exposed and also have the urge to put in practice whatever they are exposed to” , Nanyonjo explains.
She however cited some of the strategies they have in place to fight sexual violence in their institutions.
“Every school has school rules and regulations and if we have them , their effective implementation is very important, we carry out guidance and counselling sessions on a daily basis, in addition to that we also hold termly parents’ meetings where we emphasize their role in the general upbringing up of their children “,Nanyonjo narrates .
Annah Tethloay the Head girl for Crested Crane School of Excellence in Kawaala says that the schools’ efforts have highly contributed to the fight against the vice .
“At School we have a suggestion box where my fellow learners submit the issues affecting them and later solved by our teachers, this helps us to be more open on many disturbing factors sexual violence inclusive”, Tethloay explains .
Immaculate Owomugisha a Social Justice lawyer notes that sexual violence among children most especially in schools may not go on a decline unless the available laws are effectively implemented.
“The law is as good as its implementation, we have the domestic violence act which talks about sexual violence against children, the children’s act, the penal code act , if they are well implemented our children can be safe,let schools put in place structures that support children to report but also when the cases are reported, let them be prosecuted and the culprits be brought to book”, Kemigisha explains
She adds, “If at family level structures are not there, in schools they should be there to support these children”.
George Mutekanga the Assistant Commissioner in Charge of Private Schools and Institutions at the Ministry of Education and Sports notes that the vice not only affects children but the country at large and re-echoed government’s commitment towards curbing sexual violence in schools.
"As the ministry we have come up with mechanisms of preventing sexual violence in schools by organizing training for not only teachers but also for parents and communities, we have developed guidelines on prevention and management of teenage pregnancies in schools, we also came up with guidelines on reporting, tracking, response and referring",Mutekanga reveals.
He adds “Our biggest concern is how do we discipline apart from preventing, for this we talk to teachers, if they are a qualified teacher then we can even revoke their license “