key stakeholders advocate for Prevention for Violence against children in Homes, Schools and Community in Kibito

"Government, communities, teachers and parents must ensure schools are made safe from violence against children as schools prepare for new term opening across the country," said Concerned community facilitator.  This statement reflects the mood of participants at the recently held stakeholders meeting by RIC-NET on the prevention of Violence against children with support from CRVPF. 

For children to thrive in their learning,  the teachers, parents/caregivers and government should make homes, schools and communities safe for children. Children behave and learn better when they feel safe, supported and unafraid. Preventing violence in childhood and providing services for those at risk or survivors, results in positive outcomes for children’s wellbeing. In so doing, we provide a foundation for improved growth of communities and societies. 

some key stakeholders in PVAC in KIBITO

whereas RIC-NET is offering pieces of training to parents on Parenting for Respectability (PfR), training teachers on the Safe school and ‘positive discipline’ approaches in schools instead of corporal punishment, and conducting stakeholder engagement on promoting a safe and secure environment for children and adolescents other stakeholders should perform their tasks and duties.  The Parents/ caregivers should ensure safe & secure homes and community environments for children,  and education officials should hold schools accountable for ending corporal punishment and other forms of violence against children by implementing the existing education ministry directives and policy statements. Parents, caregivers and communities through training PTA and SMC members should discourage teachers from using corporal punishment and protect children from all harmful practices and government should ensure adequate financing of child protection systems and mechanisms by prioritizing the functionality of formal child protection structures within communities, including schools.

Training Children leaders on prevention of Violence Against Children in Schools in Kibito Town Council

To ensure the school environment is safe for children, RIC-NET has trained teachers of primary schools within Kibito Town Council on Safe School environments including alternative ways of disciplining children instead of corporal punishment. About 48 (M-22 and F-26) children leaders in schools were trained for 6 days spread within the term.  The trained children will provide support to the 12 (6M, 6F) trained focal teachers in their respective schools. The teachers and children leaders will conduct Weekly sessions with their peers in their respective schools of Yerya, St. Adolf, Mozet etc. 

Violence against children is on the rise within homes, communities and schools in Uganda. This includes sexual, physical, and emotional violence, from which children have little or no protection at the current time, and which has direct negative effects on their growth and development. The 2018 Violence Against Children Nationwide Survey revealed three out of four Ugandans experienced violence in their childhood. Among 18-24-year-olds interviewed, one in three girls and one in six boys reported experiencing sexual violence during their childhood. The report further illustrates that more than half of all children in Uganda have experienced physical abuse. While every child has the right to safety in schools to ensure that learning is fulfilling, 60% of children regularly experience violence at school. 

The teacher explains to Pupil's relationship

Violence and abuse in schools defeats the purpose of education and force children to drop out, perform poorly and fail to succeed in their lives. Violence against children in schools has adverse effects on children including undermining their right to access quality education. Child victims of violence can suffer a wide range of negative effects including maiming, teenage pregnancy, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, dropping out of school, and death. Violence against children is also cyclical in nature, with children who have suffered violence more likely to experience violence as adults or become violent themselves.

A 2020 Save the Children report found that children were increasingly vulnerable and at risk from an increase in violence and abuse, stress, poverty, and hazardous coping strategies such as child labour and marriage. Sixteen-year-old Noeline, shared in a 2020 World Vision study that: “Family disputes amongst parents force children to leave home and enter into marriage”. Similarly, in a 2020 Joining Forces survey,40% of caregivers surveyed said they expect an increase in teenage pregnancy during lockdown. The surge of teenage pregnancies and child marriages highlighted in various reports in Uganda today is a testament to this prediction.

RIC-NET acknowledges the protective environment schools provide to learners; however, research reveals that schools in Uganda are not entirely violence-free.  In the 2018 Violence Against Children survey, 94% of girls and 86% of boys who have experienced physical violence first suffered it at the hands of a teacher. 

 

The Day of the African Child celebrated with call to prevent Violence against Children

 The Day of the African Child is celebrated on June 16 every year. The 2024 Day of the African Child (DAC)  theme is 'Education for all children in Africa: the time is now'. Education for all is not the reality for many African children.

The Day of the African Child (DAC) was instituted in 1991 by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU in memory of the 16th June 1976 student uprising in Soweto, South Africa. At that time, students marched protesting the poor-quality education they received and demanding to be taught in their languages. During the protest, hundreds of schoolchildren were killed. The Day of the African Child is celebrated to commemorate these children's brave actions to defend their rights. The Day of the African Child also serves to celebrate children of Africa as well as inspire a sober reflection and action towards addressing the challenges that children in Africa face daily.

 Bunyangubu cluster celebrated the day by holding radio talkshows moderated by children to highlight efforts on the prevention of violence against children in home, community and schools. The right for children to access quality education and a violence-free environment were emphasised.

later the children held a sports event integrated with poems, songs, and sensitisation on forms of violence against children.

CHILDREN CLUBS LEADERS TRAINED AS PLATFORMS OF LEARNING AND PEER SUPPORT.

 The training started with prayer, introduction of staff members, the teachers and the students and pupils from the schools of St. John's P/S, St. Kizito P/S, St. Adolf P/S, Elizabeth, ST John's H/S and Light SSS each mentioning the post they hold in the club and school. Explanation on the understanding of the organization and the donor and the project as a whole was made to the pupils and the students. The main objective of the training was to orient and mentor club leaders to spearhead activities in their respective schools and strengthen school-based clubs as platforms for children learning and peer support in violence prevention.

students of Elizabeth, St Johnn's and Light ss 

A brief discussion on corporal punishment was made as any punishment that causes pain and discomfort to someone. Three questions were asked and the learners were put in three groups to discuss them and later present in plenary. The three questions were what a good school is, what is a bad school, Qualities of a good teacher. Learners presented about a good school as a school that has teachers who are professional, council and guide pupils, good security, and good learning environment with good structures, where students are involved in leadership and disciplinary actions, good historical background, violence free, school that has a spiritual background and participates in co-circular activities.

during discussion groups

Presentation about a bad school was made where learners discussed that it’s a school where teachers give corporal punishment to students, has absenteeism of teachers, has poor sanitation, and has bad and shabby teachers, insecurity, poor feeding of students, unfavorable rules and regulations and use of violence to solve issues. Qualities of a good teacher were discussed as a kind, exemplary, teaches children good morals, honest to pupils, self driven offer guidance and counseling to students, role model to students, provides positive discipline to learners and being a good time manager among others. More understanding on some of the points that were presented were clarified on by the facilitator.

Ways of ending violence were discussed and these included setting strict rules and regulations with representation of students, use and formulation of educative clubs, provision of guidance and counseling to students, training of teachers on ending violence in schools through use of positive discipline

RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL LEADERS SHARE EXPERIENCES FROM THE DISCUSSIONS ON PARENTING IN THEIR DIFFERENT CHURCHES AND COMMUNITIES

 

cultual and religious leaders during training.

A three days work shop was carried out at travelers nest in Kibiito town council Bunyangabu District  where the Religious and  cultural leaders within Kibiito town council were invited by RICNET to share their experiences on parenting from the last training that they attended.

The Imam shared that in every Friday sermons and on radio he made sure he talked about taking care of children, showing them love, prevention of drug abuse and alcoholism among children and parents being free with them so that children are free to share their problems with them.  “Some parents are HIV positive and find it hard telling their children who are infected at birth and take their children to schools to remove the children from themselves.”  He added. Mrs Annet Nyakoijo the parish chief who also acts as the leader for women in Kibiito B cell talked to the women to take care of their children. There was a case where the boy children were beating their mother to give them land , she intervened by talking to these boys and they started attending the parenting sessions since they are parents too and they have stopped beating their mother. The men have also changed in their families because of attending parenting sessions and they no longer beating their women. 

It was discussed that Men are also facing violence but have nowhere to report to, they are also given drugs by women hence becoming weak and hence the women become more powerful and authorative in the home. A case in point is where a specific policeman in Kibiito always supports women in case a case is brought up, the men end up being jailed and this police man later takes on these women as his girlfriends. Discussions about who a child is and the responsibilities for mothers and fathers were discussed and experiences were shared where a pastor shared of how his son married a wife, gave birth to only boys and this has been a cause of conflict because they cannot take care of their children and his two grand children have been brought to the grandfather to help them in parenting. It was discussed that parents should ensure that 75% of the time children should spend it at home so that they adopt good behaviors and learn their responsibilities as children unlike when they spend most of their time in town and adopt 50% instead of 25%.

Some of the challenges faced by these leaders while passing on this knowledge in the communities included different people turning up for the services, most people in the villages do not listen to radio, less time is given to the religious leaders during burials and most people turning up in community meetings are old hence the young parents are missing the knowledge

 In conclusion, it was agreed that during the preparatory marriage lessons at church, more emphasis should be on child upbringing as most of the time children are left out in these sessions. Lack of care and provision of needs by fathers in the homes has led to the children being more attached to their mothers than their fathers and some mothers have used this to kill the image of the fathers in homes. The importance of having family meetings in homes was discussed where family meetings lead to direction in the family,  creation of resources from combined effort, understanding of children better by assigning them responsibilities, and children are taught how to work well with people, teaching the children the importance of their goals and dreams.

RICNET REACHES OUT TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGH RADIO TALKSHOWS.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

during talk show

 As one of the thematic areas for RICNET is knowledge sharing and advocacy where communities are built by facilitating access to reliable , timely and relevant information, knowledge and skills in different fields, radio talk shows have been held on KRC Fm in fort portal City to share information on child safeguarding to the community. This was done to help the community to reinforce their community measures on child safeguarding through parenting and identifying hot spots to act as safe spaces for the out of school adolescents.

These talk shows have been attended by different stakeholders that is the cultural and religious

leaders, the community based facilitators and the peer educators. About parenting, the discussion was about the needs of children in different developmental stages where at physical development a child needs proper nutrition, shelter, play, protection from violence; Cognitive development involves simulation, colorful pictures, education, interactive play ,good nutrition, time for rest ;Emotional development  where a child needs supportive family, love, feelings secure, protection from neglect and emotional abuse ; Social development which involves good behavior  and positive role models. The four kinds of parenting were discussed that is firm, strict, permissive and non involved parenting.

The peer educators shared on the knowledge received from the sessions about life skills, building self esteem and confidence through their safe spaces, skills in business management, solving conflicts with their peers and being resilient from practices that lead them to be violent to themselves and to others in their communities.

WE HAVE NOT ONLY GAINED PARENTING SKILLS BUT ALSO AN INCREASE IN PRODUCTION AT HOUSEHOLD LEVEL.

 

discussing with the group members

RICNET and RIDE-AFRICA carried out a monitoring visit to their project area to check on the progress of the project work especially the parenting and VSLA groups formed in the one and a half years in Kibiito town council, Bunyangabu District.

Information from all the groups visited showed that all the sessions in the modules were held and there is a positive response about parenting in Kibiito town council. From the responses of the members about what they learnt it was found out that positive discipline, Gender and spousal relationship were the most understood modules by the people. Money borrowed from the VSLA groups has been used to create and boost businesses and from this money has been got to provide necessities and school fees to children.

‘‘We have not only gained parenting and saving skills but there has been an increase in production of food at household level, we as a group we have decided to always visit each member and spend a day in his or her garden digging or planting crops and with this idea last season I and my wife harvested 5 sacks of maize and we sold them and got money to pay fees for children and provide other necessities.” Said Mr. Kamuhanda David.

It has been learnt that the Community Based Facilitators have been involved in the village meetings by the LC1 to solve the cases of violence in homes against the children and domestic violence as they have been seen to have the knowledge and the skills. There has been a reduction in the violence cases being reported at the LC1 due to the people changing after attending the parenting sessions. The Local Council chairpersons have also been trained in child protection by the cluster and they have helped in teaching other people through the village meetings, burials and other ceremonies hence helping in preventing violence against children.

David giving his testimony

SCHOOL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES TRAINED ON ANTI- CORPORAL PUNISHMENT AND ANTI- BULLYING POLICIES

 

Training on anti- corporal punishment and anti- bullying policies of the school management committees of the 12 schools in Kibiito town council was held at Kibiito Primary School organized by RIC-NET and RIDE AFRICA. The members in attendance were the chairpersons and members of SMC and PTA from Kibiito primary school, Kibiito SSS, St Francis Rwengwara, Bubwiika P/S, Moset P/S, St Adolf P/S, St John’s P/S, St. John’s H/S, St Elizabeth P/S and Light SSS.

 Training started with the over view of the project and VAC explained to the participants how it is faced by children in homes, at school and in the environment and the purpose of the meeting was clarified as how to end violence in schools through the policies in schools. Discussions on the different causes of violence in schools were held where unfriendly rules and regulations, sexual harassment, corporal punishments and insecurity were suggested among others.

Presentations on the anti corporal punishment and anti bullying policy were made and discussions were made where by the children’s body should be involved while making the rules and they should be agreed upon by the pupils and then sent to the administration to choose what can be adopted. Awareness of why the rules in the school so that the children are made aware of them and this can be done through the spot checks so that the children cannot see the rules as punishment in the school and explaining the consequences of the behaviors being fought to the pupils and students. It was agreed from the training, that the policies should be revised and awareness should be made to the students and pupils.