To marry or not to marry

before 18 years of age

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AUTHOR
Flavia LanyeroWorld Vision Uganda
Uganda
Source: http://www.wvi.org/uganda/article/marry-or-not-marry-18-years-age

5 out of every 10 girls continue to be forced into marriage, even when the legal age of
marriage has been set at 18

To marry or not to marry before 18 years of age

Acknowledgement

Special acknowledgement goes to the girls and women who were able to
stand up against societal judgment and share what they have gone through
in order to save the future generation. By sharing your story and allowing
us to publish your story, you are a part of tomorrow today. Opening up to
enable others make informed judgment, you are part of the silent heroes of
our country.
To the different communities (Kiboga, Kibaale, Hoima, Buliisa, Soroti, Butaleja, Mbale) who
dedicated their time to reach out to the girls and women who accepted to share their stories.
Your time is invaluable. Thanks for the cooperation exhibited during the time of collection.

To the staff of World Vision Uganda (James Camilla, Lydia Akite, Aida Nakanjako, Rhoda
Nyakato, Prudence Komujinya, James Kintu, e.t.c) who have worked tirelessly to design,
review and innovatively implement activities geared towards ending the practice of child
marriage under the campaign dubbed End child Marriage. Special thanks go to the Advocacy
Coordinators and Child Protection unit who continuously guide the process so that whatever
is done impacts on the lives of the children in Uganda with sustainable results.

To Australian Aid under the UPLIFT project, thanks for dedicating the resources towards this
noble cause of amplifying the voices of those that would have never got a platform to reach
out to others with a message. Your dedicated resources will shape the youth in Uganda. You
might not touch the outcome of this booklet but surely lives will be changed. When lives are
changed you may not be able to measure how much you contributed to wards this change but
one this is for sure you contributed.

To the reviewers and publishers, without you this great piece of information would still be in
peoples hearts.

Introduction

Uganda adopted a vision-2040, where it aspires to transform the society from a peasant
economy to a middle income economy. This would be achieved through growth, employment
and prosperity for all. However, the future population quality remains a critical determinant
in realization of the vision, especially women who constitute about 50% of the total
population.

Unfortunately, Uganda is globally ranked among the hot spots with high
rates of child sexual abuses. Currently, for every 10 Ugandans, 5 people
are below the age of 15 years and of the 5 people, 3 are girls on average.
UNICEF estimates that for every 10 girls, 5 are married off before the age
of 18. Child sexual abuses undermines the girls ability to meaningfully
contribute to national development and hence Ugandas vision 2040.
Eradication of child sexual abuses therefore, should be a high priority on
the governments development agenda.

Uganda is a signatory to several international instruments that offer

protection to girls and women from all forms of discrimination and attempts
have been made to domesticate them into the national policy and legal
system. The international legal instruments include; the universal
declaration on human rights, e Convention on the Rights of Children,
CEDAW and the ascribes to the millennium development goals and the
post 2015 development agenda.

The government of Uganda has ratified key international legal instruments

including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African
Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child among other international
and regional instruments to promote and protect the rights of children. The
domestication of these instruments into domestic laws demonstrates
Governments commitment to respect and fulfill the rights of children.

Government commitment to improving the welfare of and protection of

children is demonstrated in the Constitutional provisions, related policies,
systems and structures in place including; Childrens Act (2006), the
Orphans and other Vulnerable Children (OVC) Policy 2007; the Universal
Primary Education 2008, the Universal Secondary Education, the Domestic
Violence Act (2009), and Penal Code Act ( further reference can be made
to the Simplified compendium of children laws in Uganda). The government
has also put in place an institutional framework aimed at adherence to the
rights of children. These include; The National Council for children; The
Uganda Human Rights Commission (Vulnerable Persons desk), The
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development- Dept of Youth &
Children, secretaries for children affairs appointed at all levels of local
government and the family and childrens courts in the Police Structure.

In spite of these well-meaning laws, child sexual abuse in Uganda remains

one of the greatest development challenges the country faces today. A
dangerous combination of entrenched poverty and cultural norms that are
deeply rooted in patriarchal tradition continue to fuel the harmful practice.
Despite all the efforts, 5 out of every 10 girls continue to be forced into
marriage, even when the legal age of marriage has been set at 18.

Child marriages related Facts for Uganda

Child marriage effects have diverse effects on a childs health,

education and the economy of the country at large. The situational
analysis of child poverty and deprivation in Uganda 2014, rates child
marriages at 57%, Northern Uganda at 59% slightly above the national
average, in Western Uganda at 58%, In East Central Uganda its at 52%,
West Nile at 50%, Central 2 46%, Central 1 41%, Southwest 37%, and
Kampala at 21%. UNFPA projects If the trends continue, 1,353,000 of the
young girls born between 2005 and 2010 will be married before age 18 by
2030. This projection shows a 91% increase from the 2010 estimate of
married girls, which is compounded by high fertility and low mortality in the
recent past.
According the UDHS results of 2011, education or school enrollment/completion is
associated with the prevalence of child marriage in Uganda. 67% of women aged 20-24 with
no education and 58% with primary education were married at age 18, compared to only 14%
of women with secondary education or higher. Completion of primary has reached 78 %, up
from 64% in 2002, helped by the free and compulsory primary education policy launched in
1997. In 2007 the government started to phase in free secondary education, leading to the
expansion of the lower secondary cycle, where enrollment has risen from 24% to 34% in
seven years although 13.4% of children are still enrolled in private schools. Despite the high
enrollment and completion rate, literacy level is still low. However, only 37% of children
make it to lower secondary and only 12% of school-aged children complete the full
secondary cycle. The share of Technical and Vocational Education and Training has remained
stable over the 2002-09 period, representing 5% of secondary enrollment.

According to the A Promised Renewed (APR) Reproductive, Maternal, newborn and child
(RMNCH) health sharpened plan for Uganda 2013, Under 5 mortality rate is at 90 per 1,000
live births, Neonatal mortality is at 27 per 1,000 live births and maternal mortality ration is at
438per 100,000 live births.(UNICEF, 2013).

According to UDHS 2011, thirty-three percent (33%) of children under five are stunted or
short for their age and 14 percent are severely stunted. Half (50) of the children 6-59 months
are anaemic. Almost all children who suffer from anaemia are mildly anaemic (22% of all
children) or moderately anaemic (25% of all children). Three percent (3%) of children 6-59
months are severely anaemic.

Forward

Uganda is one the countries in the world with the youngest population and the highest levels
of unemployment. 50% of Ugandas populations are young people below the age of 18 years.
50.5% children in Uganda have had their first sexual encounter. Child marriages are not a
rare occurrence in Uganda especially in the rural communities and the urban slams where
access to social services such as health and education is expensive for poor populations, the
situational analysis of child poverty and deprivation in Uganda quotes it at 57%; the annual
police crime report of 2014 reports an increment in defilement cases. Often times defiled
children end up being married off.

Article 31 of the constitution of Uganda gives a right to men and women of age 18 years and
above to marry and to found a family and are entitled to equal rights in marriage, during
marriage and at its dissolution; it also continues to say Marriage shall be entered into with the
free consent of the man and woman intending to marry. Child marriage abuses the rights of
the children and has diverse effects on the child, community and nation.
Almost two million Ugandan minors are forced or lured into alleged marriage, according to
an African human social development report presented at the Women Deliver international
conference in Kuala Lumpur in May 2013. The report is compiled from statistics gathered in
2010 to 2012 from UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO and World Bank states that Uganda falls among
the 15 worst African countries with high numbers of child brides.

The aforementioned statistics are a slap in the face of the country that has a robust legal and
policy regime for child protection. With the legal and institutional framework in place,
Uganda committed to take all effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolish
harmful social and traditional practices prejudicial to the health of the children such as child
marriage and female genital cutting. But why are there still so many numbers child
marriages?

Given the magnitude of the problem, stakeholders in Uganda need to take

urgent action for responsive and effective policy and legislative frame-work,
including systems and structures at all levels of governance. One of the
interventions to ignite collective actions towards ending sexual abuse and
marriages against children below 18 years is a three year dedicated
campaign World vision has since 2013 launched a campaign dubbed End
Child Marriage. From its experience in implementing this campaign, shares
the different dimensions that child marriage manifests itself and its different
faces of the impact. May these stories ignite the power within you to do
what is in your means to stop this harmful practice of marrying children.

By

Gilbert Kamanga

National Director

Word from the writer

Children are married off when we are watching, it could be in the neighborhood, a story you
have been told or you have observed a child being carried by a child and curiously you ask
where is the mother and you get a definite answer this is my child.

Child marriage is a reality which has existed far back with our grandparents and may be our
parents telling us stories how they were married at 13 years of age and were able to stay in
good marriages and also give birth to children. These are the fairly tales all of us have grown
up hearing and asking ourselves what has gone wrong?

Child marriage has been a practice for ages in our society being driven by strong cultural
beliefs. Such beliefs include marrying off children viewed as security for more bride price in
case of a girl, and the aspect of viewing girls as a source of wealth to the family the more
girls you have the more bride price to expect when they are married off. Facts be told, we can
give up the practice of child marriage without giving up our culture or child marriage practice
can be dropped while maintaining our culture.

Yes, years back children would be married off; but the reality remains the same child
marriage has diverse effects not only on the lives of the child married off but the society at
large. These effects manifest themselves in death of the child mothers due to complications
from giving birth while their bones are not fully developed; ill-health and sometimes death of
children since the mothers are all still in the process of growing up; increases inter-
generational poverty and high population growth rate with reduction in service delivery since
the rate of giving birth does not tally with government projections of mothers above the age
of 18 years giving birth.

In this publication, we bring you the different faces of child marriages, its causes and impact
in a series of stories as told by the child marriage survivors. The stories covered in this
publication are real stories made by real people though names changed here and there. Every
child marriage survivor has a story to tell and listening and reading these stories help us to
dig deeper into our own lives, our communities, and our world. These stories are meant to
help us bridge the gap between peoples understanding of other peoples lives while
encouraging compassion and wisdom in working with one another. These stories will inspire
us by showing us how child marriage manifests itself in different societies in Uganda, the
drivers of the practice and give a message of hope to the other children already trapped in the
practice or those that were planning or had been planned for to join the harmful practice.

For the purpose of this publication one name will be used in each of the story. May you be
inspired to get involved and you play your part in ending this practice of child marriage.

By Judith Nakamannya

Advocacy Coordinator

The Reality of Child Marriage: Sharing the stories

Child marriages is a stumbling block to childrens future

At 16 years, Oliver Karungi who hails from Buhimba sub-county in Hoima always dreamed
of going to school, getting a good job and getting married to her prince charming in a white
gown. She wished for the happy endings she had read about in fairly tales.

However, life has channeled her dreams into a state of despair and rejection from the people
that she once loved her. Oliver was orphaned at very young age when her parents succumbed
to AIDS. Her grandmother took her in providing mainly food and shelter. But lack of other
necessities such as clothes and other girly needs soon drove her into a trap presented inform
of a man who promised to meet most of her material needs.
The trap came inform of Michael Amanya, a 20 year old man. With free gifts and actions that
suggest love to Oliver, he managed to lure the teenager into cohabiting where she performed
all the wifely duties as custom dictates.

A few months later Oliver discovered she was pregnant and abandoned by Michael who is
currently on the run. Olive who is seven months pregnant has now gone back to live with her
grandmother where she performs all the household chores.

Efforts to seek more information from Oliver are in vain as the helpless girl breaks down in
tears and wishes not to discuss the topic any further.

Another story is that of 17-year- old Nora Basemera who is courageous enough to tell her
story. Like Oliver, Nora is an orphaned who was living with her grandmother until the age 14
when she became pregnant with her first child aged 2 and half years. However, the man
responsible for this pregnancy abandoned her.

After I gave birth to my first child, life became very unbearable. I did not have money to
take care of us and did not know how to look after my child.

Like Oliver, Noras needs too made her fall prey to a man who promised to take care of her
and her baby on condition that she agreed to give birth to another child for the man.
Desperate for help, Nora gave in to the demands and had her second baby, aged three months.
However, their short lived marriage did not work living Nora with a two toddlers to look
after.

Both Oliver and Norah have given up their dreams to go back to school are very minimal.
Chances of them getting into future child marriages are high due to the common believe this
is only possible way for them to survive.

Need for wealth by my father landed me into marriage

Kenyana was 16 years and in Primary Six when she heard that my father had got her a
husband. She narrates her story; At first I thought this was a rumor. But I confirmed it when
my father approached me and commanded me to prepare for marriage. He did not give me
options arguing that he had already concluded negotiations and arranged for the bride wealth
giving ceremony. He argued that I was old enough to go into marriage so that he can get some
cows to replenish his stock.

My prospective husband soon brought the cows and I was taken away into marriage. When
the Police heard of it, they confronted my father. He bribed them away and coached me to say
that I was 18 years. I used this opportunity to escape back to home but my father scorned me
asking whether I had any brains in my head. According to him, I was just growing to
consume his food instead of getting married so that he gets cows. I had to go back to my
husband.
Unfortunately marriage has not been easy. My husband often beats me a lot. My most
regrettable event is when he kicked me on the stomach while I was pregnant and I got a
miscarriage. But I have since accepted the reality of marriage and I am determined to meet all
the challenges. I am now aged 24 years and we have four children.

Neglected at an early age only to run into a marriage that never flourished

Kurusumu dropped out of school in P.5 at the age of 14. Her story reminds us of the
intergenerational poverty that is slowly groomed when the child marriage continues. The
impact at the start seems to be mild but with time it becomes much greater. Kurusumu has 3
children to look after as a single mother with so source of income.

My father claimed he had no money to pay school fees. I was tired of staying at home. I had
thought about marriage and was willing to move out with any man who came by.

I did not wait for long. I accepted the advances of my future husband as soon as he proposed.
He was staying in the next village and I moved out with him. He was older than me by at
least six years. He had no house of his own and was still staying with his mother. My mother
in law gave us a room in her house. I started working with her in the gardens. She did not
allocate us any gardens so that we live on our own. We continued to even prepare the same
meals till when our second child came.

I was becoming angry and bitter with the relationship because I had never enjoyed any
privacy as a wife. I convinced my husband that we go and rent a house in the trading centre.
He out rightly refused arguing that he had no money. I later convinced him when I promised
to always pay the rent all by myself. He agreed to move with us. I was pregnant and our third
born came weeks after I had started renting. Life became very difficult when I gave birth. I
could not work for money. My husband became very irresponsible. Though he was not
providing much right away from the beginning of the marriage, I was not feeling the pinch
because I would dig and supplement the family income. But after the birth of our third born, I
could not afford to dig and my mother in law soon stopped us from using her land on the
pretext that we had rebelled and moved out of her home without authority. I persisted and we
stayed together as husband and wife for two more years until when our fourth child was born.

By that time our family size had grown bigger and it was increasingly difficult to provide and
fend for it. My husband was equally useless as he always claimed he had no money. When I
insisted that he should do something as a father and provide for the children, he threatened
that he would even leave and return to his mothers home so as to have peace. I thought he
was joking. I could not imagine that a father of four could leave behind his four children. But
I was mistaken. The man was determined.

He started by usually demanding for food which he had not bought. When the food was not
available at home, he would walk to his mother or to hotels to eat leaving us to starve. Life
with four children became very difficult and I hard to work hard to provide for them. I soon
became used as a sole breadwinner in the home that when I heard that my husband had
actually brought a new and younger wife in the same room that we used to occupy, I did not
regret nor complain.

I accepted the sad reality and told my three young daughters and son that we were going to
persevere in the world all by ourselves. At first he would come and sleep at our home but
soon the visits became very infrequent that he stopped completely. I always tell my daughters
to be very serious with studies and not rush into marriage because life is bitter. I thank God
that I have managed to hold and provide for the family single handedly for nine years now
ever since my husband last came. I no longer see him around. I hear that he went to look for
jobs in Kampala.

Child marriage nurtures domestic violence

Often times, girls that have been married have no say in these marriages yet a woman in a
home is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the welfare of peoples are catered for
including that of her husband. This subjects the child to take up responsibilities greater than
what they can handle or comprehend thus many mistakes are done in the process which call
for disciplinary actions from the husbands.

Christine was aged 17 years and had completed S.4 when she got married. She shares her
story, My mother and father had separated. My father had vowed not to waste any of his
money on me further. My mother had left the home. My father was always threatening me to
leave the home arguing that I was old enough to go and look for employment or get married.

I obliged and went to Bukomero town council where I got a job as a barmaid. Life in the bar
was not easy as every man that came made sexual advances on me. I was disgusted with the
job but I had no alternative. The bar would be open till past mid night.

When I got a man who was willing to commit himself into marriage, I accepted. We stayed in
Bukomero for some time but my husband soon suggested that we go and rent a place in
Dwaniro where we are staying right now. My husband has not given me an opportunity for
me to introduce him to my parents neither has he ever taken me officially to his parents. I
came to know of them through third parties.

I am aged 19 years now and I have one baby. Marriage has not been easy. We often lack the
basic necessities at home. We often have misunderstandings in the home. We often quarrel
especially when I advise him to become more responsible as a father and a husband. But I am
determined to stay in the marriage and ensure that our child grows.

My advice to young girls is to avoid rushing into early marriages when they are not mature
enough to negotiate and with stand the challenges. Girls should not even rush into a marriage
with a man that does not want to introduce them.
Every child desires to be respected and given autonomy to decide on their wellbeing. Child
marriage leaves no opportunity for the child to define what they desire in life and how they
would want to achieve it. In many cases children in marriages are exposed to STDs and
HIV since they are never the first partners in such relationships.

Proscovia was 17 years and had been out of school for at least three years. she had completed
P.7 and her parents could not afford to take me to secondary school. Apart from the daily
house chores and work in the gardens, I was redundant all the time. It was paining me to see
my peers with whom I had completed P.7, continue with education while I stayed at home. I
knew that all these miseries would end when I get a man, marry and set up my own home. I
would occasionally visualize life as a wife in a home nursing my husband and children and to
me that was the goal of the life time.

I therefore did not hesitate when a man approached me for marriage. He was cunning to say
the least. Though I did not know him before, he had a lot of convincing words and I trusted
him. By the time he came to take me for marriage, I was already pregnant with his child. I
was therefore shocked when I reached his place and found a woman already there. At first I
thought she was a visitor but when I inquired she said she had been staying with her in the
house for some time. When I insisted she told me that she was her wife but that there was no
problem since she was staying in a different room. I pondered about going to my parents and
I decided to soldier on since I was pregnant.

Life became difficult living with my co wife in the same house. My honeymoon was short
lived because my husband became abusive immediately after I settled in the home. The
former charming and loving man became too rude. He is a serial womanizer and has a string
of women in the nearby villages whom we hear he sleeps around with. He does not provide
for the family always. He insists that he cannot have land and wives and still goes about
buying food or fending for the family. All the money that he makes goes to buying women
and alcohol.

Recently we were shocked when he came home with another woman and put him in the third
room that used to house the children. My co wife and I confronted him and he became very
rude, beat us and even threatened to chase us away and stay with his new cache. We decided
to bear with the situation though it is difficult. We do not have adequate land where to
cultivate and we have to compete for the same land every season.

Though I am 27 years now and has been in marriage for ten years, I often contemplate
divorcing this man but the alternatives are limited. But if he continues beating me, I am likely
to leave. But in the mean time now that I have four children, I have to continue praying hard
so that he can change: stop beating me, provide for his family and stop womanizing.

I advise young girls not to be in a hurry leaving their parents homes. Marriage is very
difficult. Men are liars and will always tell you many sweet things and promises which are
not there. Girls should wait and study the behaviors of their men before they decide to get
married.

Teenage pregnancy and child marriage walk together.

More than half of pregnancies in Uganda are unintended and half of them end up in abortions
which are unsafe since abortion is not legal in Uganda. Premarital pregnancy is considered as
a taboo in Ugandan families and therefore brings a lot of shame in a family if it happens.
Girls who get pregnant while not married are often rejected by their families, their partners
and most times are forced to go elsewhere where they can stay not underscoring the fact that
they are expelled from school although The National Adolescent health policy permits girls
to return to school after giving birth. In this story, Sarah explains her ordeal;

I was in P.5 and aged 14 years when I was forced into marriage by my parents. I had become
pregnant and my parents had become furious that I leave the house and find the man that had
made me pregnant. The pressure was too much and I had to find him.

He was not ready for marriage but given the circumstances, I convinced him that we would
struggle together and make a living. He agreed and indeed we started staying and working
hard together. We produced our first child barely a month after I had left my parents home.
We were very poor and with nothing to provide and care for this new borne. But somehow
God enabled us to survive.

We lived together for close to seven years and we managed to produce another four children.
But shortly after our last child was produced, my husband became quarrelsome. He would
beat me and quarrel over minor things. He even threatened to kill me.

One morning he chased me out of the house we had built together. He ordered me to leave the
home together with my five children. I now live in the village and I struggle to fend for these
children. I regret that I was dumped by this man who spoilt me at a tender age. I was young
and innocent when he started befriending me and promising me everything. Of course he
never had much but he had given me assurances that we would share whatever he had. My
parents are still together but I cannot go back.

I advise young girls not to rush into premarital sex because it ruins their lives.

Destitution gives birth to child marriage and circle continues

Under the UPE policy, every parent or care giver is supposed to ensure that their children are
provided with the necessities to enable them stay in school and continue learning. Continued
failure to provide for children with basic necessities is fueling school dropout and child
marriage as a practice at large. Birth registration in Uganda is at 30% and its the only way
children are given identity and also prove their age. Without a birth certificate a childs age
cannot be contested in case they are proposed for marriage and the parents claim the child is
of age.
Jackline was 17 years when she decided to get married. She shares her story, I had completed
P.7 and had been out of school for two years. My father had claimed that he had no money to
send to school. Life was very difficult. I was struggling to get a cloth to put on as my father
was no longer providing. Other necessities including soap, books were also not forthcoming
and I was feeling ashamed to even walk along the village paths.

It was in those circumstances that I decided to get married to this man who later became my
husband. He had proved to be helpful and would occasionally give me money to buy clothes
and cosmetics. And naturally when he proposed marriage, I could not decline.

As soon as I got married, the LC officials raised an alarm that I was still young. They
approached my father but he told them that I was of age. The LCs had even threatened to
forcefully take me back from my husbands place but they later kept quiet. I have now spent
three years in marriage and we have one child now and I am seven months pregnant.

Despite giving this family children, my marriage right away from the start was disapproved
by my in laws. To them, they thought that I was a spoilt village girl who had dropped out of
school and was a prostitute in the village. They hated me so much that this prompted my
husband to suggest that we relocate from the village to Ntwetwe trading centre. It hurts me so
much to have left our own house in the village and come to rent in town because of
disapproval from in laws.

Children in schools when asked what they seen happening in their community about
child marriage these are their narrations:

Annet, fourteen year old girl who was in grade 3 last term agreed to marry yet she had just
been promoted to grade 3 this year. The man was arrested and the girl is back with her family.

Juliet was impregnated at 14 year while in grade 3, the man was arrested and only spent 6
months in prison and was then released, its claimed that was the sentence he was given. She
is now a mother and the man never cared for her as she now stays with her parents at home,
she dropped out of school.

Audrey was impregnated at 13 years while in grade two, the man disappeared and now she is
suffering in the community with the pregnancy as her parents first chased her away from
home though she later returned.

Juliana(not real name) was impregnated by a married man who ran away for fear of arrest.
Annoyingly after some few months, the parents of the girl are claimed to have discussed for
the marriage of their girl to the already married man because she is pregnant.

Immaculate was in grade 6, the parents first chased her though she later returned home.
These young girls are leaving school at an early age, my friend has missed becoming an
important person in our community and country, she could in fact have become a member of
parliament (stated Nyakato Hope a child leader in grad 6 )

The future of a girl impregnanted while young in not going to be good at all, she has a baby
to care for yet also young, she has no income to help her look after her baby, the man has run
away and we fear to play with her because our parents refuse us because she is said to be a
bad girl. In this state everything will become worse as she even wont get back to school
because parents wont pay her school dues now that she has a baby. (Laments Tukahirwa
Oliver in grade 6)

The LC chairman of our village has his own children not going to school, I highly doubt
whether If I went to him with a case on early marriage he would help, our leaders and parents
are poor and not trusted. (Laments one child leader)

Delayed and Denied justice

The Penal Code Amendment Act (2007) provides that any person who performs a sexual act
with another person under the age of 18 years commits a felony known as defilement and is
liable to life imprisonment according to the Uganda Police Annual Crime report 2011,
49.8% of the defilement cases were prosecuted. In this section we present to you a few case
studies of how children are denied justice despite the fact the availability of evidence to
prosecute the criminals.

Case 1

Iraka lyabaanana, a CBO registered under Kibaale local government rescued a child 13 years
of age who was married off by the parents to a man, its said that these parents tried the same
on this girl before 3 times and failed but had succeeded this time. The defiler was arrested by
Katikara police and child subjected to medical checkup; the defiler was transferred to
Kibaale, in the process it was the CBO that provide transport of all the involved parties to
Kibaale as well as paying for the medical checkup. The defiler was remanded to prison, girl is
at home now and undergoing counseling to make her and parents realize the value of
education.

A child defiled and raped, impregnated

Case 2

Case followed but justice denied. Amasiko GAbaana, also a CBO followed up on a case on a
girl who was raped and defiled thus impregnated. The medical examination on the police
form revealed the girl had been defiled, evidence of knickers gathered, statements made and
birth certificate availed to police. The local police referred the case to Kibaale and the
suspected was transferred there but released after 2 days and returned to the community. This
caused serious enermity between the families of the defiled girl yet she was pregnant now
and they even decided to sell off their land and shift to another sub county. The girl gave birth
but unfortunately she birthed a child who died at birth and the younger mother also almost
passed on. This has cause bitterness to the defiled girl and at her age although back at school,
she is enraged with bitterness as she always asks why they had to take her knickers yet justice
never prevailed.

Case 3

One case followed up by a CBO in Katikara also has conflicting reports as the medical report
say the child was not penetrated but then the child was immediately put on medication by the
doctor and they were advised to take the child for HIV test after 3 months, leaving the parents
and child actor in suspense. This case is of a child who is claimed to have been defiled by an
HIV positive man and he is on the run, it was also followed up up to Kakumiro in Kibaale.

For all these cases, the CBDs have the photo copies of case ref number, medical form and
birth certificate and there are more than five cases failed and with them as a result of
frustration at police and hospital.

Theres hope after child marriage

My name is Agnes Kabonesa. I am 22 years old. I live in Okulai village, Aminit parish
Kamuda Sub County in Soroti District in Eastern Uganda. I am the first born in family with
three siblings. When I was about seven years of age, my parents separated and my mother
moved from my fathers home in Masindi district in western Uganda and brought my siblings
and I to live with her in her parents home in Soroti. Life in my grand parents home was not
easy. My mother is a peasant farmer and was always struggling to make ends meet. My
uncles never treated us well and were always reminding me and my siblings that we were a
burden and do not belong to their clan. They were always threatening to chase my mother and
us off their family land. My mother provided for us single handedly and sometimes we lacked
adequate basic necessities like clothes and scholastic materials. Whenever we would ask for
necessities and she was not able to provide adequately she would turn hostile and abuse us
and ask us where our father was and what he was doing to provide for us. When I approached
puberty my needs increased and when I would ask her for things like knickers and pads she
would tell me that I am grown up girl and should find myself a man to supplement what she
was providing. In 2009 when I was 15 years and in senior two, a certain boy who was a
primary seven drop out and was a brick maker from my village approached me and asked me
to have a love relationship with me. I refused because I did not want to take chances and
maybe end up messing my education opportunity. This boy persisted and in the long run,
given my poor economic situation I decided to have a relationship with him if he could
provide me some of the basic things I needed. After all, my mother had been advising me to
get a man to help out and was even getting impatient with me for being strong headed.
Shortly into the relationship, I missed my monthly periods and realized that I had become
pregnant. I did not tell anybody. I was shocked, scared and disappointed at the turn of events.
I really wanted to study and gain employment and become useful in my family and my
community but there I was with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. My dream had been
shattered into pieces.

As time went on, my mother realized that I was pregnant and did some investigations and
found out the boy I had a relationship with. One day while I was at school, my mother and
her brothers mobilized and went to the home of the boy who was responsible for my
pregnancy and negotiated with his family for bride price of two cows which was promptly
given. I was not informed of the negotiations and neither was I consulted. I was leaving
school in the evening only to find the boy on the way waiting for me and demanding that
since he had paid bride price, I was now his wife and had to go to his home as his wife. I had
no option but to go with the boy because I knew, I would not be welcome home since they
had now accepted my bride price thereby sanction the marriage. I did not have any decision
making power over the cows that were got from the boys family and my mother exchanged
the cows for a piece of land so that she could have land of her own where she could raise my
siblings without being antagonized by her brothers who viewed us outsiders who were not
part of their clan. When I came to live with my husband life was not easy either. We used to
stay in the same homestead with my brother in laws family and used to cook together in
turns. Whenever it was my turn to cook I had to look for what to prepare. I used to go and dig
in peoples gardens for food or dig for money at the rate of Sh. 2000 (three quarters of a
dollar) per day. My husband was not supportive and would live as early as 8:00am and go to
the trading center to play cards and chat with his friends and come back to demand for food.
Sometimes I would fail to get what to cook and we would stay hungry. My husband beat
me up several times for failing to find food. Because of hard work and poor feeding I was
anemic during pregnancy. When finally my labour pains started, I was in labour pain for a
week without being taken to hospital because there was no money for transport and hospital
requirements. My situation became worse and I was taken to Soroti regional where I was
admitted. When I gave birth, my baby was weak and exhausted and was put on oxygen but
could not survive and passed on. The labour pains and the death of my child were very
painful experiences. After I was discharged from hospital, I went back to my husbands
home and to cope with my grief, I joined a youth group Alive with Purpose (AWIP). This
group does music dance and drama for community sensitization, gospel outreaches and
helping the needy and is supported by World Vision Uganda to engage in community
sensitization through music dance and drama. Through this group I met Barbra Akalo who
used to work with World Vision (HIV/AIDS project SPEAR) who had come to talk about
behavior change. I confided in her and told her about my situation and informed her that I
was not happy with the marriage and wished for an opportunity to go back to school. Barbra
counseled me advised me to leave the man if I was serious about wanting to end the
marriage. When I went back home I was determined to reclaim my life. Shortly after my
meeting with Barbra, I went back to my mothers place and I told her that I was through with
the marriage and wanted to go back to school. She was not happy with my decision and was
worried about repaying the pride price which had already been put use. Barbara kept coming
home to talk to me and my mother and finally convinced my mother to allow me to go back
to school. I went back to my former school Kamuda Parents secondary school and talked to
the headmaster that I wanted to come back to study. He understood my situation and allowed
me back and did not even charge me school fees for one year. Going back to the same school
was challenging as fellow students would back bite me but I never let that discourage me. I
was determined to pick up the broken pieces of my life and piece them back together and
move on. I was very committed to my studies and excelled academically and was even made
the school head girl!

One day, as I came back from school my former husband way laid me and beat me up
seriously that I was even admitted in hospital. He was demanding that I go back to his home
or else they pay his bride price back but my relative refused and informed him that actually,
that was not bride price but rather a fine for impregnating an underage girl. After senior three,
World Vision took me up and started paying school fees for me and I passed Ordinary level
secondary exams and World Vision continued to support me for Advanced level secondary
education. For my safety and protection, I was enrolled at Bethany Girls secondary school
which is a boarding school to minimize the risk of possible harm from my former husband. I
have now I have finished senior six and look forward to a bright future! My mother
eventually became born again and I am also born again and our family life has improved
tremendously. As I await the results of my examinations, I am teaching at Dakabera
Secondary in Arapai Sub County Soroti district and I am able to supplement the family
expenses. I feel useful and valuable. I would want to be a lawyer so that I can help the poor to
access justice because in most cases, the rich exploit the poor and get away with it by bribing.
My experience of marriage was very traumatic and I am sharing my story so that others can
learn from it. This is my call to parents is; Parents, stop looking at your girl children as
cheques waiting to be cashed! Give your children an opportunity to be children and do not be
accomplices in stealing your childrens future Parents, provide basic needs to your children
and explain challenges rather than encouraging them to engage in transactional sex which can
have dire consequences like it did for me. Parents, talk to your children about their body
changes, sex and HIV/AIDs. If you do not provide adequate and true information, your
children will get half truths from wrong sources and make wrong choices.
My advice to children especially girls is that they should take a stand and say NO to child
marriage and early sex, and keep away from boys and men who just want to use them and
end up stealing their future. Had it not been for World Vision my story would have had a very
different and sad ending. When all hope was gone and I seemed a lost cause; I am happy
World Vision was there and restored my hope!

Child marriage- I did not know it could happen to me

My name is Saaba Miria. I am 19 years old. I live in Mugulu village, Mugulu

parish, Budumba Sub County, Butaleja district in East Uganda. I am the
fourth born in a family of seven siblings. In 2007 when I was about 12 years
and studying in P.5 at Mugulu integrated Primary School, I was approached
by a shopkeeper from the village trading center who asked me to have a
love relationship with him. I think he was about 19 years. I was scared of
the idea and told my elder sister about his advances and my sister advised
me to ignore the boy. The boy persisted and would follow me to the village
well, church and wait for me on my way back from school. I was very
scared and would even cry and tell him that I was not interested in a
relationship but he persisted and would send me presents like chapatti,
handkerchiefs, biscuits and some money (less than 1$).

Due to the presents he was giving me I was convinced that he loved me

and agreed to have a relationship with him. By that time I was 13 years. In
November 2008 towards the end of primary six I had sex with the boy and
unfortunately got pregnant. Despite being pregnant I continued attending
school. I told the boy that I was pregnant and he told me not to worry that
he would take care of the baby but requested me not to disclose that he
was the one responsible for my pregnancy. After the long December
holidays I reported back to school for primary seven but my parents had
discovered that I was pregnant and demanded to know the person
responsible but I refused to disclose the identity of the person. I was
canned, denied food, called names like dog and misfortune but I refused to
disclose the identity of the person who had impregnated me. I would cook,
food and wait until rest had had eaten to eat the leftovers. My parents said
this was to punish me and teach my younger siblings a lesson not to get
pregnant like me.
My parents beat me up severely and chased me from home to go and get
married to the person responsible for my pregnancy. I had seen incidents of
child marriage in my community I did not ever imagine that it could happen
to me- but it did. Due to the mistreatment I was getting at home I decided to
move in with the boy who had impregnated me. I had sent him a message
that I was coming but when arrived he was not there and I waited on the
veranda until 7:00Pm. Eventually when he came he started quarreling with
me and asking me what I was doing at his place and I told him that I was
suffering at home and had come to stay with him. When I told him that I
had come to stay he quarreled but later agreed that I could stay with him.
At first things were fine but after a few days he started abusing me that I
was fool for having agreed to sleep with him and getting myself pregnant. I
felt so disappointed, very confused, tormented and scared and I even
considered committing suicide or carrying out an abortion. I wondered if I
should just disappear and would cry all day and pray to God for guidance.
Life was very hard. I went and visited my aunt whom I requested to
negotiate with my parents to allow me back so that I could give birth and
then go back to school but my parents refused. I had learnt from my
mistake and was ready for a second chance and I talked to my clan elders
to plead my case before my parents but my parents refused. I kept on
praying for my parents change of heart. I even asked the chairperson LC.1
to support me and talk to my parents and convince them to allow me back
but they refused. I then decided to go to the police. I walked to Busolwe
police post which was about 5km away from where I was staying and
looked the in charge of family and child protection unit afande Namugere
Lydia. I narrated to her my story and she was concerned. She asked me to
direct her to my home which I did. She went to my home and talked to my
parents to allow me back but they refused. The next day I went together
with her and she talked to my parents but they insisted and refused. On the
third attempt when I went back with afande Lydia, after a long session of
counseling my parents allowed me back. I was relieved but at the same
time felt insecure. I suspected that my parents could have pretended to
accept me back in the presence of the police but were planning something
bad for me.

Towards the beginning of the school term I prepared my uniform and books
and got ready to resume school. I was still pregnant and I knew this would
be very challenging but I was determined to continue with my education
because I knew that even if I had made a mistake and engaged in
premarital sex and got pregnant, that did not mean that that was the end of
me and that my life should be turned upside down. . When I reported to
school, at first teachers were very harsh to me and abused me that I had
wasted my intelligence by getting pregnant. The school senior woman
counseled me and encouraged me to persevere and concentrate on my
studies for better grades and continue with my education.

My friends were very supportive and would give me scholastic materials. I

gave birth to a baby boy in June 2009 at Busolwe health center. I stayed
home for a week and resumed studies. My parents were very supportive
and my mum would keep the baby while I was at school. I would come
back home during break and lunch time and breastfeed my baby. When I
went back to my parents, the boy who had impregnated me shifted from the
trading center where he had been renting and went. He was from another
district and I did not know his home and I have never heard from him again.
The police had wanted to arrest him but we did not even know where to
look for him.

When I finished primary seven, my parents enrolled me into a day

secondary school Mugulu High School because I wanted to continue breast
feeding my baby as he was still very young. I finished senior four and
passed in division III but I am still at home because my parents lack funds
to support me further my education. I am rearing some chicken which helps
me to get money to cater for my babys needs. My parents and siblings
support me when they can. From experience, I want to urge girls to desist
from peer pressure. Friends can advise you wrongly and when you land in
trouble they are nowhere to be seen. I strongly caution children especially
girls not to engage in early sex or child marriage because it complicates
life. I also encourage girls that there is hope for education even after
conception provided they are determined. I appeal to parents of girls who
get pregnant to counsel and support them rather than forcing them into
child marriage because its effects are far reaching. Parents who force their
children into marriage should be counseled and told the dangers of child
marriage. If they insist they should be held accountable.

I appreciate the school administration of Mugulu Integrated primary school who accepted me
back in school and offered me an opportunity to continue with may education despite my
challenging circumstances. I sometimes worry about how I will look after my child and
provide for him in life. My only hope is that I get a chance to continue with education and get
a job to enable me look after my child.

A living miracle is what I am

My name is Logose Fatuma I live in Bugembe village, Nabweya parish
Namanyonyi Sub County in Mbale district in Eastern Uganda. I am 20
years old. In 2008, I was in primary seven at Buwamwangu primary school
a boy who was studying at a neighboring school Nabweya primary school
started sending me messages that he wanted me to be his girl friend. I was
fourteen years of age while he was fifteen years and we got married in
2009. He would send the messages through my brothers and he would
send me small presents like handkerchiefs, Vaseline and eats. I accepted
to be his girlfriend and before long we started having sex. Shortly after my
mother discovered that I was pregnant and demanded to know the person
who was responsible for my pregnancy. I told him the name of the boy. My
mum later told my dad about the pregnancy and my dad was very angry
and chased me from home to go and get married and have the person
responsible for the pregnancy take care of me and my pregnancy.

My husband was an orphan and had to also drop out of school. He was
very poor without any means of livelihood and together we would dig in
peoples gardens for food for a wage of sh.2,000/= (less than a dollar) per
day. Life was difficult. We even had no household utensils and I had to
sneak back home and pick utensils like saucepans, cups and plates to use.
I even had no maternity closes and would borrow from neighbors who out
of sympathy would let me keep the clothes.

Because I was young and knew nothing about child birth, when my labour
pains started I was not even aware that they were labour pains. It started
late afternoon and even joined Kadodi dancers who were leading the
circumcision throng and danced along amidst the occasional pains. When I
came back from the Kadodi dance at around 7pm, I told my neighbor that I
had passed blood and she told me that the labour had started. We did not
have money to go to a health facility to give birth so my husband took me to
a traditional birth attendant who gave me some herbs to drink. After a short
while the birth attendant took me under a coffee tree and told me to squat
and start pushing the baby. I pushed the baby from around 8:30pm to 11pm
but the baby was not coming out. I was very exhausted and the birth
attendant decided to take me back inside the house. The next morning the
birth attendant told me to push again but the baby was not coming. She
told me that my passage was narrow and as such she had to cut in order to
enlarge it so that the baby can pass. She cut me with a razor blade and told
me to push bust still the baby was not coming out.

On realizing that the labour was not progressing despite the herbs and
cutting, the birth attendant disappeared leaving me and my husband
helpless. We then decided to go to a nearby health center and my husband
asked a few women from the neighborhood to accompany me. While still
on the way, I felt the urge to push and we branched to a nearby abandoned
house where I pushed the baby out. Unfortunately my baby was dead. I
think my baby died due to the prolonged labour. I went back home with my
husband as one of the women went and alerted my mum about my
situation. When my mother came to our home, she decided to take me
back to her home in order to care for me because there was no adequate
care at my husbands place. My father chased me away and the next clan
members to talk to my father to accept me to stay but my father refused.
He later relented and accepted me to stay at home but insisted that my
husband pays for all the treatment costs.

On the third day, my mother took me to a health center for stitching but the
nurses told us that my wound had over stayed and could not be stitched.
My mother then took me to another traditional birth attendant who agreed
to treat me. The treatment the herbalist gave me was a concocted mixture
of herbs and a local detergent omo which she would pour in the basin and
I would sit in the mixture for ten minutes three times a day for about a
month. I stayed at home for three months but my husband would come and
visit me and he requested me to return now that I was healed. I agreed and
went back and that very month I conceived. I suffered with this pregnancy
too because my husband and I did not have the ability to provide for
ourselves. My mother used to sneak me food from home without my
fathers knowledge. I gave birth in hospital this time and my mother nursed
me.

Five months after giving birth, I became pregnant again. I was shocked. I
wondered how I would cope with the two babies given our financial
situation. I had to wean my baby at an early age and as result she became
malnourished and by the time I gave birth to the second one, the older
baby could not even walk. With the two babies, life was difficult. I would not
do house hold chores as one of the babies would be crying for attention. I
would carry one in the back and carry the other in the hands. Whenever, I
would go to the garden to dig I would put the younger one down to sleep
and the older one down to sleep and the older one down to sit. Life was
indeed difficult but my husband was not bothered about the situation and I
was worried about how I was going to survive with my children. I talked to a
friend who advised me to start family planning and actually took me to the
nearby health center and introduced me to the health workers.

In 2011 a councilor on my village told me that World Vision had approached

her to identify children who had dropped out of school to enroll them for
skills training and asked me if I was interested in enrolling. I was very
excited and agreed at once. I did not have any misgivings given the fact
that I was a Muslim and world vision is a Christian organization. All I
wanted was a way out. My husband was supportive and did not question or
revoke my decision to enroll for a tailoring course. I enrolled for a tailoring
course and upon finishing I was given a tailoring machine and my skills I
am an empowered woman and I am earning a living and providing for my
family.

Given the suffering I had to go through with my first births experience I advise girls to resist
from early sex and the resultant pregnancies and child marriage. I would not wish my
children to go through what I went through and will endeavor to guide and counsel them and
other girls not to make the wrong choices I made because I suffered a lot. I am grateful to my
mother who was there for me through thick and thin and World Vision who restored my hope
and empowered me with skills to make a living, provide for my family, contribute to family
development and well being and live with dignity. I am also grateful to my husband who
allowed me to go for the tailoring course which is now sustaining the family

Strides taken

Child marriage is not a one mans business, all of us have a duty to prevent protect and
restore childrens dignity: In 2000, MoES designed a National Strategy for Girls Education
(NSGE) as a mechanism to concretize concerns on the girl child education as provided for in
the Education Sector Investment Plan (1997-2003). The design of this strategy was premised
on the national desire to provide an implementation framework, laying out strategies to
achieve the goal of narrowing the gender gap in education particularly through promoting
girls education, as a form of affirmative action. The Strategy was pegged to addressing the
most pressing barriers to girls full and equal participation in education in Uganda, clustered
as social cultural factors, school related factors, political, economic as well as administrative
factors. The Strategy was also to act as a plan of action highlighting the roles of different
stakeholders in the sector, in joint promotion of girls education. The whole spirit behind the
strategy is that education for girls is a basic human right and should be taken as so by all
stakeholders and duty bearers. In addition, it is established that there are many societal
dividends that come about as a result of educating girls. These include, but are not limited to,
higher family incomes, greater economic productivity and better nutrition, delayed marriage,
improved maternal outcomes; improved survival rates for infants and overall improvement in
education outcomes for children.

A toll free child helpline 116 has been introduced as a point where children cases can be
reported and followed to the end. The Uganda Child Helpline is an avenue for reporting
incidents of violence, speaking out, seeking emergency assistance, and getting information on
available services specifically for children. The facility however is used by adults as well who
report cases on behalf of children. Increasingly, the Child Helpline is being recognized as an
integral part of any child protection system to provide an invaluable service to children in
need of care and protection. While a childs reason for calling may vary between regions,
tribes, religions, physical and mental abilities, one factor remains the same; the callers first
step towards child participation is being made. In effect, a child is asking to be heard, a right
that is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC). The
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) has integrated the Child
Helpline within current efforts of strengthening national child protection systems, particularly
within the social welfare reforms aimed at improving the function of Probation and Social
Welfare Officers. When done, this will guarantee sustainability of the facility and will
provide an opportunity to build case response around government structures such as; the
Probation and Social Welfare Officers, Community Development Officers, and Health
Workers.

Recommendations made by children

Children

Avoid bad peer pressure and groups

Parents:

Provide your children with the basic needs.

Spend time with your children and guide them

Avoid domestic violence and separation.

Provide your children with scholastic materials and mid day meals.

Government

Imprison the abusers

Penalize parents that connive with the criminals to marry the children

Put controls to operations of video clubs

Monitor programmes top ensure that all children benefit from

government

Support parents with Income generating activities

END CHILD MARRIAGE AND RESTORE SELF WORTH OF GIRLS AND BOYS FOR A
HOPEFUL GENERATION
ACT NOW END CHILD MARRIAGE