Jane Nafula
23 December 2007
Katakwi — PARENTS in Oongora internally displaced persons' camp have asked government to protect women and girls from sexual abuse as they return home.
The parents said some personnel of the Anti Theft Stock Unit that guard communal kraals near IDP camps were allegedly luring young girls into sex.
The Anti Stock Theft Unit officers are in charge of protecting citizens and their animals from the attacks of the Karimojong cattle rustlers.
"They take advantage of the biting poverty and hunger in the camps and defile our daughters by trapping them with material things like Vaseline and money," one of the parents who preferred anonymity for security purposes said.
The parents raised their voices at a public dialogue on the role of government in the commitment to the return and resettlement of IDPs, preparedness to manage and respond to disaster and emergencies.
The dialogue was one of the activities to mark the Katakwi District Floods Day that was organised by Action Aid International Uganda together with the district leadership at Oongora camp Thursday.
The day was meant to commemorate people who lost their lives and property to the floods.
The dialogue also centered on accountability for efforts towards alleviating the effect of floods from the government, the enactment and adoption of the national disaster management policy, damages caused by the floods and support for the people who were affected by the floods.
Members said that in most cases, the officers have impregnated the girls and then abandoned them.
Responding to the issue of sexual abuse by some security officers, Katakwi District Resident Commissioner Joseph Arwata said they would investigate the allegations.
"There are rules and regulations that govern security officers. Those who don't abide by these rules are going to disciplined or even be dismissed," he said.
On resettlement, Mr Arwata said the government would use any means within the reach to address the problem of cattle rustlers in the district so that people can peacefully resettle.
Most camps are in Usuk, Ngariam and Omagoro.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
