How to protect girls from trouble during holidays

Experts have advised parents on how to protect the girl-child from unwanted pregnancies and sexual harassment during the three-week holiday.

Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the junior Primary Education minister, yesterday tasked parents and guardians to keep a watchful eye over their children. She said children tend to gravitate towards sexual activities that result in teenage pregnancies during holidays. 

Dr Kaducu also tasked the responsible authorities to ensure that the boys are equally counselled on matters concerning reproductive health and abstinence. 

She asked the parents and guardians to nurture their children in a holistic manner, uphold Christian values, cultural norms, moral and social etiquette.

The junior Primary Education minister also encouraged parents to monitor children’s activities on phones and social media.

Mr Dickson Tumuramye, a parenting coach and executive director of Hope Regeneration Africa, said parents should sit with their children and design timetables for holiday activities such as house chores. He said children tend to go off the rails when idleness kicks in.

“There should be some kind of a clear timetable, whether written or verbal, of which children can do on a daily basis and let them account for this on a daily basis,” he said, adding: “When you get back home or if you were not at home with them, they can give you an account of this and explain why they have failed to do certain things.” 

Mr Tumuramye also advised parents to engage with their children in sex education, addressing subject matters such as preventive measures, body changes and how to avoid bad behaviour.

“They should be intentional in teaching them all these things that we experience at any level of our development. They should teach them that if you are at this stage and you feel like this and this, how you should address it so that you don’t get into problems,” he said. Mr Tumuramye also said parents should monitor their children’s television time. 

He advised parents to properly handle children found in relationships.

“The parents should also take time to know how it started, who the boy is, who the girl is, how far have they gone?, what have they already done. They should get to know the whole process and then guide their children to stop,” he said, adding that if a parent feels that it is a very meaningful relationship, ground rules should be set.

Mr Tumuramye noted that parents must create time for their children and be free with them so that children can trust them.

Ms Faith Kugonza, the project manager of Compassion Uganda in Kabarole District, said parents should engage the children in skills such as bakery, tailoring, among others. These, she added, will not only keep them engaged but also open up an income-generating line. She said a meticulous approach should be used to maintain an engagement with the girl-child.

“Parents don’t know how to open up to the girls yet it is very key for a parent to be very close to her daughter as much as possible, be friends, show them the side effects of teenage pregnancies and early marriages,” Ms Kugonza said.