Shortage of funds hinder anti-domestic violence fight
The district probation office and the Child and Family Protection Unit of the Police have now opted to use radio programmes to sensitise against teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Statistics. Records from the district probation officer indicate that 1,058 cases of teenage pregnancies were recorded in 2019, 1,312 cases in 2020 and about 1,000 cases from January to October 2021.
Authorities in Kabale District have said lack of transport means and adequate funding is hindering community mobilisation against gender-based violence and teenage pregnancy.
Officials made the remarks during a dialogue organised by Local Sustainable Communities Organisation (LOSCO), a non- governmental organisation, on gender-based violence and land rights in Kigezi Sub-region in Kabale Town yesterday.
The officer-in-charge of children and family protection unit at Kabale Police Station, Ms Margret Kamiranga, said: “Lack of means of transport to reach out to the communities where gender-based violence cases and teenage pregnancies are reported is a serious challenge.’’
“My office has one motorcycle with no fuel and yet the terrain of Kabale being hilly makes it difficult for us to reach out to the affected communities for proper investigations of violence cases,” she said.
Ms Kamiranga added that women, who are the major victims, end up pleading for their husbands to be set free since they are the sole breadwinners in their families.
She said her office receives about seven cases of gender-based violence weekly and the most common causes are alcoholism, polygamy, poverty, and land disputes.
The Kabale district probation officer, Ms Monica Muhumuza, said she depends on support from development partners to reach out to the communities because her department has no vehicle.
“Since this year began, my office has registered 202 cases of gender-based violence, of which 17 cases were taken to court for prosecution while 114 cases were reconciled and 71 cases are pending. The increased cases have resulted into about 1,000 cases of teenage pregnancies. Between October and November, we have registered 47 cases of child neglect cases and 11 cases of child abandonment,” Ms Muhumuza said.
The district probation office and the Child and Family Protection Unit of the Police have now opted to use radio programmes to sensitise against teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence.
The executive director of LOSCO, Mr Albert Taremwa, promised continued support to government agencies not only in activism against gender-based violence and its associated results, but also in other government programmes such as the Covid-19 vaccination and sexual and reproductive health rights.
