Emotional violence: Silent killer of children in homes

Police arrest a child who was found collecting plastics during school hours in Masaka District recently. Many children run away from home due to emotional violence. PHOTO BY ALI MAMBULE

Mbarara- Mr Alex Kagime, 38, a mechanic in Mbarara Town, deserted his home at the age of 10 because of an abusive stepmother.

His father was not helpful because he took his wife to be caring towards all the children.
“At around 10 years, my step mother was tormenting me with words like ‘you are fool, you are worthless,’ and that I will remain so even when I become an adult. I decided to leave,” says Mr Kagame.

Ms Edith Asaba, 22, a resident of Kakiika Division in Mbarara Municipality, is another victim of emotional violence. She decided to get married at the age of 16 after running away from her abusive mother.
“True, I was not performing well at school; I started school when I was a bit old; at 13 years, I was still in primary. My mother used to abuse me a lot,” Ms Asaba says.

“She used to tell me how I had grown old, how she regretted getting a dull child like me, and always wondered whether they had exchanged her real child at birth in hospital. I would cry and ask myself whether she was really my biological mother, I had to desert home,” she adds.

Findings
A research conducted by Africhild on Violence Against Children in Uganda released in November last year shows that 34 per cent females and 36 per cent males in the country experience emotional violence before the age of 18. Central region ranks top in cases of emotional violence with 41.8 per cent, eastern 36.5 per cent, western 29.3 per cent and northern 27.3 percent.

Ms Joyce Wanican, the country director Africhild, says emotional violence has an indelible effect on children.
“Emotional violence will affect children for the rest of their lives but it is taken lightly in our society; it is very dangerous. It creates loss of esteem and hopelessness. That is why we see cases of suicide,” says Ms Wanican.
Mr Nathan Mugume, the head teacher Mbarara Junior School, admits that emotional violence takes place in schools and can have far reaching consequence.

“If a teacher is abusive to pupils, that is how they will grow up and in the end, we will have violent and abusive families and the nation. As teachers, we need to always guide, counsel, discuss with and show empathy to pupils because we can either kill or build their future,” says Mr Mugume.

Mbarara District Community Development Officer William Kayumbu says: “Some parents assume that degrading or abusing a child is a way of instilling morals in them when they are ruining their minds and future.”

Ms Evelyn Muhebwa, a police officer at Mbarara Family and Child Protection Unit, says emotional violence, like any other form of violence is criminal, but is least reported.

“A lot of sensitisation needs to be done in communities to stop this violence,” Ms Muhebwa says.
Mr Gabriel Ahimbisibwe, the district education officer, says any kind of violence against children in schools is punishable. “Head teachers and teachers need to know that any kind of violence against pupils cannot be tolerated and whoever does it and is discovered, is liable to reprimand and even termination of his or her services,” he says.