KAMPALA- Ugandans have been called upon to take responsibility in protecting the dignity and safety of children against sexual violence.
This appeal was made during the official launch of the Kawempe Division Community Action Team (CAT) by Cornerstone Development Africa in partnership with Rescue One More.
The newly formed team is dedicated to the vital mission of ending sexual violence against children in Kawempe Division, Kampala, and across Uganda.
The event, held at Makerere Kavule, brought together a wide range of stakeholders including political leaders, children’s rights defenders, religious leaders, local authorities, and the Uganda Police.
Speaking at the launch, Kawempe Division Mayor Emmanuel Sserunjogi emphasized that safeguarding children is a collective responsibility for everyone in society.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure safety of children in the society,” said Mayor Sserunjogi.
He strongly condemned individuals who sexually abuse children and urged the community to shun and expose such perpetrators.
“Kawempe must be free from such evil acts. We must learn to discriminate people who do evil acts in our societies. This vise shouldn’t be in Kawempe anymore,” he said.
Sserunjogi commended Rescue One More for their initiative and pledged his full support from the mayor’s office to fight against child sexual violence. He also called on parents and leaders to report offenders rather than hiding them.
Scott Lambie, the co-founder of Rescue One More, encouraged the public to speak out and take action against child sexual abuse.
He shared a touching story about a girl he adopted from Makindye, named Vanessa, who was abused by her uncle and denied justice despite reporting the case to the police.
“Our goal is to bring safety, justice, and healing to children,” said Lambie. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure every child is protected no matter where they come from.”
Harriet Adongpin, a representative from Cornerstone Development Africa, noted that the Kawempe Division Community Action Team is the fourth CAT launched in Kampala. She highlighted the successes of the initiative across other divisions.
“We have rescued so many kids in Kampala over the last three years. I must say that in Makindye Division, we’ve been able to rescue over 194 cases of children who are survivors of sexual gender-based violence. In Rubaga Division, we’ve also been able to rescue over 116 cases of children who are survivors of sexual gender-based violence. 78 cases in Central Division have been rescued. In Kawe [Kawempe] Division as we speak, we started on the fourth [team] in April this year, when we brought the project to Kawempe Division leadership. The first inception meeting happened in April. And so far from that time up to date, we’ve been able to rescue 14 cases of sexual gender-based violence in Kawempe Division. Altogether, we’ve been able to rescue over 402 cases in Kampala,” she explained.
Adongpin added that through this project, more than 5,000 people have been reached through sensitization efforts aimed at prevention and awareness.
Ms. Betty, a representative from the CID department at Wandegeya Police Station, warned against the harmful culture of silence among parents and community members when children face abuse.
“It is the role of the parents and leaders to report such cases to the authorities. Some parents fail these cases especially the defilement related cases. Let’s join hands and handle these cases together,” she said.
She further cautioned parents against resolving defilement cases outside the legal system, emphasizing that such are capital offenses that must be handled by the courts to ensure justice.
