By Yahudu Kitunzi
Residents and leaders in eastern Uganda have raised concern over the increasing cases of defilement in the region.
According to the newly released 2022 Annual Crime and Traffic Safety Report, the region topped in defilement with over 2,700 cases recorded, last year.
The report released last week also shows that in 2022, over 8,960 cases of defilement were reported to police countrywide compared to 10,653 cases reported in 2021.
Ahamada Washaki, the Kumi Resident District Commissioner says many defilement cases go unreported because some LC1 chairmen mediate and settle most of the cases with the victims’ parents and suspects.
According to the East Kyoga regional police spokesperson, Oscar Ageca, some parents abandon the cases after receiving money, turning the vice into a business venture.
He says teachers have also been cited as major culprits in defilement cases.
He also attributed the increasing cases in the region to traditional practices, school dropout, child labor, and domestic violence.
While Betty Nesihwe, the senior probation officer for Butaleja district said the practice has been exacerbated by biting poverty, urging parents to stop looking at their daughters as a source of wealth.
