By Leonard Kamugisha Akida and Annet Nakanwagi,
REGIONAL
Cases of domestic violence continue to spike in the country and a number of children have become victims of the vice. Several reports impicts men as most perpetrators of domestic violence in families although a few women do.
Further reports also indicate that poverty, drunkardness are great contributors of domestic violence among married couples.
As you read this report, a 50-year-old father in Lwengo district is breathing behind the bars after he allegedly killed his 8-months-old biological daughter in a brawl.
Joseph Lutaaya, a resident of Kakunyu village, Nkoni Parish in Kingo Sub County, Lwengo District and the suspect allegedly developed a misunderstanding with the baby’s mother Afisa Akwero (his wife) over harvests. It is alleged that Lutaaya was going to sell the beans yet the couple had plans to use the money to construct a better house.
According to the officer in charge of Nkoni Police Station, Martin Emudud, during the fight, the suspect threw a plate which hit the victim, Asiat Nakivumbi leading to her death. The baby’s mother also sustained injuries following panga cuts in her necks.
Emudud condemns acts of domestic violence in families and urges men not to look up to produces by their wives to avoid fights. Nakivumbi’s body was rushed to Masaka hospital for a postmortem awaiting for burial today.
According to the Uganda Police Force’s annual crime report, 17,533 cases of gender-based violence were reported and investigated between 2021 and 2022.
Also, the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey revealed that up to 22% of women aged 15 to 49 in the country had experienced some form of sexual violence. The report also revealed that annually, 13% of women aged 15 to 49 report experiencing sexual violence. This translates to more than 1 million women exposed to sexual violence every year in Uganda.
Domestic violence in Uganda is taking new sophisticated forms despite attempts by the government and other stakeholders to combat the practice.
