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Uganda: Child Neglect Tops Abuse List
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New Vision (Kampala)
22 July 2008
Posted to the web 23 July 2008
Josephine Maseruka
Kampala
Child neglect and maintenance topped the list of human rights abuses, followed by torture, despite a 25% decline in complaints registered by the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) last year.
According to the commission's 2007 annual report, released yesterday, a total of 924 complaints were reported, compared to 1,222 the previous year.
It attributes the reduction to the improved security situation in northern Uganda and Karamoja, as well as the application of strict admissibility criteria.
Cases of child neglect and torture comprise over half of all complaints. The majority of the cases were against individuals (501), followed by the Ugandan Police (228), UPDF (88) and the Violent Crime Crack Unit (43).
The central region had the highest number of complaints against the Police, totaling 77, while Soroti had the highest number against private individuals (154).
The commission chairperson, Margaret Sekaggya, while presenting the report to the Speaker of Parliament, said there had been an upsurge in child neglect cases over the last five years. She regretted that some custodians did not play their role.
She also blamed poverty at household levels, ignorance of the law, poor enforcement, unstable marriages and polygamy.
A total of sh445m was awarded to victims of human rights abuses last year, of which sh323m went to torture victims alone, the majority against the state.
"However, by publication of this report there was no indication that any of the victims whose cases were decided in their favour against the Attorney General in 2007 had been compensated," the report read.
"The implication of this is that torture cases are costly, causing the taxpayer to lose money."
UHRC wants a law prohibiting torture and any inhuman treatment. It also wants officers who torture people to be held individually responsible.
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Although the report shows some improvement in the human rights situation of prisoners, it is still concerned about restriction in access and the persistence of torture.
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