Kadaga calls for end to child marriages
Emphasis. Ms Rebecca Kadaga addresses parents at Kwosir Girls Secondary School in Kween District on Wednesday. PHOTO BY JOYCE CHEMITAI
What you need to know:
- Warning. Ms Kadaga says perpetrators of early child marriages will face the law.
Kween. The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, has called on all Ugandans to change community attitudes and join the fight against child marriages.
She also warned perpetrators of child marriages who she said will face the law.
The speaker wondered how little girls, “who are fit to play hide and seek” could be initiated into marriage and referred to as wives.
“… How can this person be your wife? You come home and this one says mwami (husband) kuliikayo (welcome back)!” She said, pointing to a little girl.
“This child is only fit to play netball and other games,” she added, urging mothers to be more protective of their children.
Ms Kadaga was at Kwosir Girls Secondary School in Kween District on Wednesday to preside over the annual Sabiny Culture Day celebrations where she asked boys to also join the campaign for eradication of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
She advised parents to take their children to school saying: “We have provided universal primary and secondary education on top of the various initiatives. Let our children study.”
She also asked police to support elders and human rights activists in fighting the vice especially through aiding prosecution of culprits and protecting victims.
“I ask the DPC to support Mr Kamuron to make sure that those children go back to school,” she said noting a commitment by a human rights defender, elder Peter Kamuron to ensure that girls who have been married off go back to school.
The Speaker donated The Switch, a book written by General Duties Minister Mary Karooro Okurut. It demystifies the effects of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in schools and local governments.
“I want you to think about FGM every day, read about it and understand its problems,” she said as she handed over copies of the book.
Ms Beatrice Chelangat, the director general of Reproductive Educative and Community Health (REACH) programme said: “The trend is changing, everyone now knows that FGM is harmful. We now need to fight and end child marriages.”
