Defilement cases have increased in Uganda since the declaration of the first lockdown in March last year with more than 14,000 girls having been defiled in this period, Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Ms Sarah Mateke, says.
The Minister says that according to the investigation carried out in this period since March last year, defilement cases doubled compared to previous years.
Among these cases, 2,628 teenage girls were impregnated,120 were defiled by their parents and relatives, 52 defiled by their teachers and 300 girls were defiled by people who are HIV positive, which puts the lives of these young girls at stake.
According to the report from the Ministry of Gender, many young girls have been exposed into sexual acts in this lockdown and some ended up being impregnated. The hotspot districts are Mayuge, Kabale, Rubanda, Kamuli, Rukungiri, Butalejja, Kisoro, Kanungu, Rukiga and Teso sub-region.
It is also reported that between July 2020 and August 2021, 216 cases of domestic violence were recorded in Rubanda District alone, leaving 302 girls impregnated.
Minister Mateke added that since the children have spent a long time without going to school, it has created much time for them to spend more time at home with relatives who in most cases become main perpetrators of abuse.
However, she expresses dismay to parents who sideline with the defilers by asking for payments in form of compensation to settle matters out of court, which she says has also led to an increase of such cases in the country.
She asks police to continue investigating and making follow ups so that these perpetrators are brought to book.
Mr Collins Kafeero, the officer in charge of Family Matters in Kayunga District, states that such acts in his area of jurisdiction are rampant. He adds that most perpetrators are biological fathers to the victims.
Mr Kafeero says that in the third quarter of 2021, his office has registered 47 cases, two of them by fathers.
He says the rampant defilement cases are also attributed to increased domestic violence due to prolonged lockdowns that have left many families economically incapacitated.
The executive director of National Children Authority, Mr Martin Kiiza, also reported to Parliament that 17,000 cases of domestic violence were recorded ever since the declaration of the lockdown in Uganda last year.
However, Minister Mateke says when the schools resume next year, all girls who are pregnant will be allowed to continue with their studies.
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