Nous sommes un collectif de victimes ayant contribué aux travaux de la Commission Indépendante sur les Abus Sexuels dans l'Eglise (CIASE).

Cette commission a permis d'établir la réalité des faits de violences sexuelles dans l'Eglise. Les victimes ont un droit à réparation du préjudice subi; les responsables ecclésiaux doivent mettre leurs actes en cohérence avec le discours qu’ils prétendent tenir .

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Community Awareness

The now 2 year old Sharon is the youngest client that we have, she was defiled by her mother’ boyfriend.

Sharon’s mother Josephine separated with her husband in July 2020, (father to Sharon) due to both physical and emotional violence, in effort to escape from all that, she met a new man,  who became her boyfriend. He rented a house and gave her a small charcoal selling business to make life better for her, she seemed contented but this happiness didn’t last for long. 

In October 2020, as Sharon mother had gone to buy some necessities from a nearby shop, the boyfriend took the opportunity of her absence and defiled the 18 months old child, on her arrival, she found the child in endless tears and wondered what could have happened, by then her boyfriend had run away after hearing footsteps on her way home. Its with the continuous tears that she noticed that there were blood stains on the child that she decided to run to a nearby clinic where she was advised to go to the health centre for better services.

It was at this point that news got to one of our trained para social workers who later informed us and support was rendered to the child and her mother, From the results of the medical check-up done, there was evidence of penetration into Sharon private parts, and with this conclusion, more investigations were made as the case was reported at police. By the support of Totya, Sharon got better treatment and has no more health threatening issues.

 With constant follow up of about four months, the suspect was arrested and convicted with a case of aggregated defilement.  

Meet Josephine, a 5-year-old in Kamengo, who was defiled in the June 2021. 

She was playing outside with her friends when the suspect; Tony called her to a nearby  guava tree as he picked some fruits and gave her one, he then grabbed her, held her tight and inserted his fingers into her (private parts) vagina and also rubbed his knee against her vagina, all through this Josephine continued to struggle and shout for help, her wails were eventually heard by her 8 year old brother, Paul, who found her with the suspect and called out for help as he continued to beg the man to ‘let his sister be’. Her brother’s calls for help also attracted the attention of her other friends some of who, on seeing what was happening, ran to go and inform her grandmother, this saved Josephine because the suspect released her and ran away.

The incident was reported to the police and through the Totya Platform contacts at the Police the victim’s family sought further assistance from us, we offered to support the police to further the investigation and provided medical support to little Josephine to care for the bruises she attained during the assault and she was also examined further.

We have continued to provide post trauma counselling to Little Josephine and her family. This kind of trauma especially in children does not only affect them but their parents/guardians too.

Who is Josephine?

Josephine is the 2nd born child to her parents Naiga Brenda (a house wife) and Sentamu Ronald (a boda boda rider) who are currently staying in Kitintale a suburb in Kampala district.

Josephine and her 8-year-old brother Paul Mukia were brought to stay with their maternal grandmother in Kamengo when schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her parents opted to send them to the ‘the village’ to live with their grandmother citing cost of living challenges that where brought about by the COVID-19 ‘lock-down’ mainly affected her father’s boda boda business.

According to the 62-year-old grandmother Amelia Nabatya, her daughter was barely surviving in Kampala and the children would eat only one meal a day so they all thought it best for the children to stay with her since she has a garden of food, this was how the children came to stay with their grandmother.

What has been done 

Medical support was rendered to the victim, for full body check-up, it was found out that her private parts had bruises and was in pain, she therefore received antibiotics and other tests such as HIV were also taken to ascertain her status.

Transport was provided for the victim, her guardian and her brother who was a witness to all this, this was for him to identify the suspect among the many who had been arrested by the police in Mpigi Police station. 

They continue to receive physiological support from Totya, to come to terms with this incidence, much as the victim has gone back to freely playing with her friends, she is still scared of strange male figures.