By Morish Dramadri

Arua City

The increasing cases of sexual violence and other forms of abuses against children in Arua district has created worries among the various stakeholders in the district with the current trend of the violence mainly committed against children below 10 years.

A report from the office of the district community development officer of Arua district indicates Ajia Sub County is the leading perpetrator of the vice with the two parishes of Alivu and Ocoko spotted as the hotspots.

Presenting during a consultative engagement with the various stakeholders and partners of Arua district on Tuesday 01^st February 2024 at the district board room, Edward Endraa the acting Community Development Officer of Arua district attributed the escalating cases of sexual violence against children to cultural norms. “Right now Arua is on fire with Ajia Sub County leading in sexual violence against the children and most of the children who are defiled are below 5 years, I pray before I leave Arua district in May over 20 perpetrators must be in yellow. Our biggest challenge is our culture,” Endraa disclosed.

Record from the regional child and family protection unit of West Nile indicates that about 327 cases of violence against children were registered between the months of June and December 2023 with about 86 of the under aged suspects remanded at the Arua regional remand home.

Eunice Candiru a representative of the district health department revealed that this vice has contributed to the 46% scissor deliveries in the health facilities.
“When you look at our deliveries in the health sector about 46% of the deliveries are scissorian section, this is contributed by the teenage mother because their bones are not fully developed,” Candiru remarked

But Judith Bako a community service worker at the ministry of internal affair working in Arua high court attributed the rise in sexual violence against children to the too much advocacy for girl child at the expense of their counterpart, the boy child. “As we empower these young girls to keep safe, let us also empower the boy child so that as we want good girls to be good mothers who can be able to look after theirb children in future, we need good husbands and fathers to these children to be born,” Bako lamented.

Child abuse is any form of violence against a person below the age of 18 that affects his/her physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing both in the short and long run.

COVER PHOTO: Arua district acting senior community development officer presenting a report before the stakeholders By Morish Dramadri