Identifying possible existing intervention measures addressing violence against children in Kissenyi slum areas of Kampala district
Abstract
Violence against children remains a global problem especially in African countries, however, one of the most important and realistic intervention measures to reduce VAC is mobilizations and sensitization of the public allover media platforms and intensive community outreaches for seminars about VAC to increase awareness and knowledge on the rights of children before getting victimized. The study was conducted in Kissenyi slum areas, Kampala District to identify the possible existing intervention measures addressing violence against children in Kissenyi slum areas. The specific objectives were to: investigate on the standards of living, economic activities and people’s awareness about violence against children and identify the barriers faced by child rights advocates in addressing violence against children in Kissenyi slum areas. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used to obtain data
The study revealed that people still have misconception between VAC and culture because some of cultural rituals performed portrays violence for example FGM among the sabiny and pilot, traditional circumcision among the Bagisu, child marriages among the Bahima and so on which intensify the existence of VAC in Kissenyi and Uganda in particular
Most of household respondents, attributed VAC in Kissenyi slum areas to poverty and unemployment that makes people live in un conducive and un favorable environment thus hindering proper grooming of children due to a lot of risky factors that associates with them and calls upon Government intervention to provide services that could change their standards of living
The study also found out the existing intervention measures addressing VAC from Kissenyi slum areas which included family and child protection unit, mobilization and sensitization of VAC, existence of organizations in and out of Kissenyi, legal family and children court, existence of schools, presence of religious institutes, Government policies and strict laws on VAC.
Therefore, further studies about VAC in Kissenyi slum areas should be done to cover the areas that were left out of this study so as to provide more information to different stakeholders as per improvement of children status in the area