Sexual exploitation and abuse of the girl child through cultural practices in Uganda
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Date
2017-06
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Kampala International University, School of Law
Abstract
The study aimed at observing the sexual exploitation and abuse of the girl child tlu·ough cultural
practices in Uganda. Recently the state has acknowledged the problem of sexual abuse and
exploitation of the girl child and has indicated the willingness to step up campaigns against it.
This campaign, however, targets school children in primary and secondary schools. There has
also been an increase of sexual abuse of children in schools by the teachers and other staff
members. The family as an institution has facilitated child abuse and exploitation in Uganda
through cultural practices and customs as a survival tactic. Some commentators have directly
linked the revival of these cultural practices to the economic crisis that has resulted in food
shortages around the country. These traditional practices include the man-iages of the child to
older men in exchange for food or money known as pledging a girl into marriage and virginity
testing. Some of the practices are, however, not directly linked to the prevailing economic crisis,
but are just practiced as a tradition. These practices have become more common amongst the
Baganda, the largest tribe constituting at least 76% of the population, and predominantly
patriarchal. Theorists of patriarchy have directed their attention to the subordinate status of
women and found their explanation in the male need to dominate the female. Although Uganda
as a state has shown a commitment to protecting children against sexual abuse by enactment of
laws criminalising involvement of the girl child in prostitution, incest and rape of girls, little has
been done to ensure that forced and early marriages of the girl child are cmiailed. Virginity
testing is not criminalised and is also currently being practised in rmal pmis of the country on a
wide scale .... Chapter one introduces the problem of child sexual abuse and exploitation of the
girl child as a universal problem and gives a structure of the study. Chapter two discusses the
concept of a child, sexual abuse and exploitation as a human rights problem. It analyses the
protection of children under international human rights law. The legal framework protecting
children from sexual abuse and exploitation and the shortcomings will be highlighted. The
impact of such sexual abuse and exploitation on the overall development of the child will also be
discussed. Chapter five makes recommendations by looking at the developments from other
countries on the rights of the girl child and cultural practices that result in sexual abuse."
Description
A research report submitted to the faculty of law in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the a ward of a Bachelor’s Degree in law of Kampala International University
Keywords
Sexual exploitation, Girl child, Cultural practices, Uganda