School girls petition parliament over sexual harassment, teenage pregnancies and marriages
Speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga, and First Lady Janet Museveni are seeking cabinet intervention in curbing the increasing cases of defilement and early marriages with teachers and former crime preventers being in spotlight.
This follows a petition presented by a cross section of young girls from Eastern Uganda calling for immediate speeding up of a sexual offences and marriage Bill.
Though the government of Uganda has put in place laws and policies that protect women and girls from all forms of sexual violence, speaker Rebecca Kadaga and minister for Education Janet Museveni are uncertain that this vice will end without the intervention of cabinet to streamline measures to put the culprits to book.
Kadaga said the reason why she invited the minister for education, youth, and internal affairs minister for the meeting is to hear the cries of the innocent young girls whose future was ruined by teachers. " Imagine just in Kamuli district, one head teacher used his position and impregnated 8 innocent young children.”
Janet Museveni said that regardless of the peace which has prevailed after government defeated Kony in eastern and northern Uganda, its unfortunate that the rampant sexual violence is on the rise.
"Government must implement those laws which will keep security and safety of our future mothers of this country."
In the same interaction, the First Lady directed her ministry to collaborate with other sectors to seize licenses of all head teachers and staff victimised in the vice.
"Ministry of education and sports will continue to work with other government sectors to tame these teachers and must be fired indefinitely from the ministry of education."
The group of young girls including victims of rape, early child marriages and abduction experienced their testimonies of who they were trapped for exchange of sanitary pads and food.
"Our teachers, crime preventers and bodabodas promise us food and sanitary pads and end up impregnating us".
