Ministry moves to arrest parents of rescued children

Soroti- The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has called for the prosecution of parents of the 13 Karimojong children recently intercepted from the hands of alleged human traffickers.

The children aged between five and 15 were intercepted last week in Arapai Sub-county as they were travelling in a commuter taxi from Apeitolim Trading Centre in Napak District to Asuet Sub-county in Soroti.

In a meeting with Soroti and Napak leaders at Soroti District Conference Hall on Tuesday, Ms Jane Stella Ogwang, the principle probation and welfare officer from the Department of Youth And Children’s Affairs at the Gender ministry, halted the process of reuniting the children with their families and demanded that parents be prosecuted.
She said releasing the victims would jeopardise ongoing investigations.

“We have to make sure that the case is handled to its logical conclusion. This is a problem we feel should not be taken lightly,” Ms Ogwang said.

“They should not be taken to Napak unless the prosecution process is complete. We need to have their parents prosecuted because they are part of the case,” she added.

The proposal to have the children reunited with their parents had been fronted by Ms Molly Nagiro, the Napak District principal probation officer.

She asked that the children be released to their families as the matter is investigated.
But Ms Ogwang said the vice promotes violation of the children’s rights as abusers subject them to hard labour and harassment.
The children are currently housed at Amecet Na Ainapakin Children’s Home in Soroti, which is run by the Dutch. It was also resolved that the case be handled in Soroti and that Napak District identifies the parents of the victims.

The Napak District chairperson, Mr Joseph Lomonyang, appreciated the move taken by the ministry to prosecute parents. He said they have been warning parents in churches and other public gatherings to stop giving away their children in vain.

“I am happy for what the police and the ministry have done. By jointly doing this, the vice will become history,” Mr Lomonyang said.
“We have been taking this problem seriously. Since we passed a council resolution, 15 parents have been prosecuted and convicted,” Mr Lomonyang noted.

Advice
The Soroti resident state prosecutor, Ms Josephine Ariong, advised that the responsible parties carry out thorough investigations.
“Make sure you bring all the clear evidence; all those who were dealing in this business; the parents, transporters, receivers,” she said.
The East Kyoga regional police spokesperson, Mr Michael Odongo, said they have so far arrested three suspected human traffickers.

Government plans for street children

Most Karimojong children end up on Kampala streets. The State Minister Youth and Children Affairs, Ms Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, last month said her ministry is expecting Parliament to approve a Shs3 billion supplementary budget that will be used to get children off Kampala streets.

‘’Our supplementary budget of Shs3.4 billion is already in Parliament. Within one month, we expect to receive this money to buy cameras which will be put on streets to help us locate where all these children are,” she said. She said operation will involve the ministries of Disaster Preparedness, Internal Affairs, Local Government, Police, Kampala Capital City, Authority among other partners.
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