DAILY MONITOR

The Church of Uganda has called on parents and communities to protect children from violence and provide them with a safe environment in which they can grow and develop.

Bishop Henry Katumba Tamale, the Bishop Emeritus of West Buganda Diocese, described the killing of children by their own parents as a serious concern that should not be tolerated.

“I want to urge all the parents and other people to desist from spilling more blood in this country. Christ shed enough blood on the cross for the remission of our sins,” Bishop Katumba said.

He added, “If the blood of Jesus you think wasn’t enough, we have enough martyrs at Namugongo, and people come every year to pay respect and homage to the Uganda Martyrs,” he said.

His remarks follow the recent tragic domestic incident in Kalungu- Bunga, Ggaba Parish, where a woman allegedly stabbed her five children, killing two, before attempting to take her own life and setting a vehicle ablaze early Thursday morning last week.

The church also reminded Christians of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and Uganda’s martyrs, saying there should be no justification for continued violence and loss of innocent lives.

He called on parents, schools and communities to work together to safeguard children and ensure that they grow up in environments that promote peace, discipline and respect for human life. “Uganda isn’t lacking people who are highly educated. We do have them, but when they are not seasoned with God’s word, in a stroke of a pen, they steal billions of money,” he said.

He said the country’s national anthem itself carries a message of prayer and commitment to God and the nation. The Church, he said, would continue to support efforts aimed at nurturing children academically, spiritually and morally.

Bishop Katumba also appealed to parents to protect children from violence, saying recent incidents in which children have been killed by people close to them should serve as a warning to communities.

He argued that protecting children should remain a shared responsibility among parents, schools, religious institutions and the wider community. “We don’t only impart hidden knowledge to the learners, but we also season them with God’s word, so that they are also spiritually nurtured and morally upright,” He said.

Adding: “Uganda isn’t lacking people who are highly educated. We do have them, but when they are not seasoned with God’s word, in a stroke of a pen, they steal billions of money,” he said.

The Bishop urged schools to continue promoting the principles and doctrines of the Church while educating children.
The Church, he said, would continue to support efforts aimed at nurturing children academically, spiritually and morally.

Representing the Speaker of Parliament at the commissioning of J-neric Kindergarten Junior School, Ruth Nankabirwa, the Former Energy and Mineral Development Minister urged communities to revive traditional child-upbringing practices and take greater responsibility for protecting and nurturing children.

She said although the government has enacted laws and regulations to protect children, parents and communities have a bigger role to play in ensuring the laws are implemented. “Much as the Government has done its work to make sure that there are relevant laws and regulations to protect children, the parents and the communities have a lot more to do,” she said.

Ms Nankabirwa said communities should help parents understand their responsibilities and ensure children are protected from practices such as early marriage. “We see some young mothers who are almost children. We call them child mothers. If your mother is a child, what do you expect from such a person?” she said.

She also urged parents to keep children in school and discourage early marriages before they complete their education or acquire skills that can enable them to earn a living. “Communities have to wake up so that we go back to the old days when children used to be raised by communities,” she said.

Adding on, “Here we must nurture that African culture of extended family so that we extend responsibilities to everybody in the society and in the community,” she said.

Jackline Luga, Director of J’Neric School, said parents should regularly talk to their children about personal safety and create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing their concerns. “When we send the children back home, we encourage parents to talk to them and always be their friends because they will tell you a lot.”

Written by newsroom-radiopacis