Africa-Press – Uganda. A sub county in Kitgum District has passed a by-law which mandates any local leader to flog a child 20 strokes of cane for partying, Monitor has learnt.
Under the local law, a parent to a child found in a disco hall shall also pay a maximum fine of Shs20, 000.
The Labongo Akwang Sub County leadership and child rights organisation are optimistic that there will be a reduction in child marriages, teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence which are on the increase in the area.
Flavia Agenorwot, a project coordinator for Rugby Tackling Life, a Non-Governmental Organization in Kitgum District that facilitated the formulation of the bylaw, said implementation of the bylaw has already started.
“Children go to disco halls where they end up being abused. The punishment will make parents restrict their children’s movement,” she said at a public event in Lira on March 28.
In Kitgum, some disco halls or such leisure hubs are owned by local leaders.
“Owners of disco halls hosting children shall pay a fine of Shs20,000 times the number of children found in your disco hall,” she explained.
Speaking at the same event, Lira gender officer Ronnie Olao condemned the bylaw’s provision on flogging youngsters as “promoting violence.”
“20 strokes of cane? Are you not conflicting with the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and other policies? So, we want practices that do not bring us issues again as violators of children’s rights,” he said during the one-day dialogue organized by an NGO, Joy for Children in Uganda under the Northeastern Road-Corridor Asset Management Project (NERAMP)-Lango Cluster.
Ismael Pinto, the Lira Resident District Commissioner urge action against gender-based violence in several Ugandan regions.
Several participants at the dialogue agreed that men’s involvement and community action should be adopted as some of the best practices in the fight against gender-based violence and child-protection.
“This is because if you dialogue with members of the community, you get to know their issues and they are in the best position to know what works for them,” said Alexander Omara, a human rights officer with African Youth Initiative Network (AYINET).
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