Arm children with useful safety tips
Godfrey Muwumuza, a teacher at Kabojja Junior School in the dock at Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s court on May 9, 2025. PHOTO/JULIET KIGONGO
What you need to know:
- Therefore, the onus is on us the adults to arm them with awareness of predators who walk amongst us masked and waiting for an opportunity to strike. Have the talk about protecting oneself and reporting any suspected sexual abuse, not just for the girls but for the boys too.
In May 2025, a 43-year-old teacher at Kabojja Junior School was charged and remanded to Luzira Prison for allegedly attempting to sodomise an 11-year-old pupil during a school trip. He was formally charged with attempted aggravated homosexuality under section 3(3) of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023.
The attempted abuse came to light because, according to records, the victim used his mobile phone to send a WhatsApp message to his mother, detailing the incident. She immediately reported the matter to the police, and the teacher was arrested shortly after.
While this story is mostly absurd and infuriating, it was relieving to read that the victim reported to someone he trusted, his mother, who, in turn, was able to quickly act on the information given. Unfortunately, this is not every child’s story.
Many are abused by people in positions of authority because they don’t know how to report the abuse or to whom to report or when they report, they are ignored, told never to speak of it and some cases, victim’s parents are paid off by the culprits.
The issue of sensitizing children about abuse stands out here. This points to the need to talk to children about protecting their personal space, telling them what abuse looks like and what to do or who to report to if anything untowardly happens or is implied.
Of course, this must be done in an age-appropriate way. The first line of defense is naturally parents and guardians, but teachers, too.
They must be very vigilant. Refusing to shy away from having what might seem like a difficult conversation could save a child from abuse. Children should be given appropriate, useful, and clear information. Because information is power.
Prevention is better than cure; therefore, it is only prudent to arm children with an escape or contingency plan if anything ever happens.
Children are trusting, innocent, and can obviously be taken advantage of by those who should be taking care of them. Therefore, the onus is on us the adults to arm them with awareness of predators who walk amongst us masked and waiting for an opportunity to strike. Have the talk about protecting oneself and reporting any suspected sexual abuse, not just for the girls but for the boys too.
Regular conversation and quality time with children builds rapport and makes it easy for them to confide in their parent or guardian without fear. While the teacher in the aforementioned story may have been nabbed and jailed, there are still many walking about looking for a child to devour.
According to Uganda’s 2023 crime report, 13,144 children were defiled, with 211 cases involving primary school teachers. Therefore, we can’t emphasise this enough: Parents must be vigilant, watch out for signs and indicators of abuse.
Schools must do a lot more to screen the teachers. Cases reported should not be swept under the carpet, and professional therapy must be sought for any victims.
