Kamwenge District – Flavia Kabahenda, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender, Labour, and Social Development, has renewed her call for the government to scrap taxes on diapers, citing the financial strain it places on parents, especially those caring for children with disabilities.
Speaking as chief guest during the commemoration of the Day of the African Child held in Kamwenge District, Kabahenda, who also serves as the Woman MP for Kyegegwa District, criticized the May 2023 parliamentary approval of a Value Added Tax (VAT) on diapers.
The tax was passed under the VAT (Amendment) Bill despite proposals to exempt such essential items to support vulnerable populations. “This was a big mistake,” Kabahenda stated, Adding that the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development must engage the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to correct this. “We are punishing parents of children with disabilities, and that is unacceptable.”
Kabahenda pledged to reintroduce the issue in Parliament, vowing to continue advocating for its reversal.
Kabahenda stressed the need for child-focused budgeting from the outset of the fiscal planning process, not just at the final stages.
“We must prioritize children from the beginning,” she emphasized. “Waiting until the end of the budget cycle shows we don’t truly value child protection.”
Commissioner for Youth and Children Affairs, Fred Ngabirano, acknowledged ongoing funding challenges but noted that progress had been made in terms of policy.
“Despite shrinking budgets for child protection, we have made notable advances in policy formulation,” Ngabirano said.
As part of the commemoration, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development launched two key tools aimed at enhancing the response to child abuse: the National Training Manual for Para-Social Workers and the National Para-Social Workers Handbook.
These tools, developed with support from the Baobab Research Programme Consortium, incorporate a sexual violence screening intervention to improve early detection and response to abuse.
Dr. Gloria Seruwagi, Research Uptake Lead at Baobab, explained the importance of the new materials: “This approach will enable quicker identification of violations against children and ensure timely support for victims.”
UNICEF also weighed in on the occasion, calling for increased investment in child protection.
Suzan Birungi, UNICEF Emergency Officer for Western Uganda, highlighted the ongoing funding gap. “To adequately respond to the growing needs of children, especially in emergencies, we must scale up our financial commitments,” Birungi said
