Refugee children  demand safety in settlement camps

Refugee children in Adjumani District have decried the unsafe conditions in the settlement camps, and called for punitive measures against the perpetrators.
Many of them fled from the wars in South Sudan but continue to face violence.
During a children’s parliament organised by World Vision on Wednesday in Adjumani, the children said poor parenting, poverty and bad cultural practices were fuelling cases of defilement, underage marriage, and teenage pregnancy.

Hellen Manuela, a pupil from Pagirinya refugee settlement, who presented a paper on child marriage, said she witnessed a case in which a 14-year-old girl who was mistreated by her parents, ended up getting married.
“We ask district leaders to come up with by-laws to end early marriages. Religious and cultural leaders must rise up and speak against the practices, and parents must build the capacity of the girls to report bad practices. Otherwise, we are not safe,” she said.

Victoria Keji, another pupil from Pagirinya, said the rampant discos in the settlements have exposed girls to pregnancy as many men take advantage of their vulnerability.
She called for punitive measures against parents who do not take responsibility and force their daughters into child marriages.
Ms Frances Dipio, the district senior probations and social welfare officer, said 79 cases of teenage pregnancy involving girls between the ages of 14 and 17 years and more than 300 cases of child marriage were recorded from January to November.

“There is need for the involvement of men. The poor involvement of men is responsible for the high cases of gender-based violence in the district and the refugees are the most affected. Let us ensure that the settlements are safe for the girls who run away from their country,” Ms Dipio said.
The child protection coordinator at World Vision, Mr Christopher Amayo, said the children’s parliament aims at giving children a platform to raise their concerns.
“We have made sure that the children are given an opportunity so that they are able to present their own challenges to the district councillors who make decisions during a council sittings,” Mr Amayo said.

Mr John Anyanzo, the councillor for Ciforo Sub-county, said the children’s recommendations can be adopted and implemented at the lower local government and at the village levels by enacting ordinances and by-laws.
The records from district health department indicate that there were 143 cases of teenage pregnancies, 175 cases of child marriages among girls and 1,707 girls dropping out of school in 2020.
The average percentage for teenage pregnancy in the district has risen to 14.1 percent from 13.7 percent in 2020, which is above the national average of 10 percent.