Pallisa, (UG):- The Pallisa District Woman Member of Parliament, Hon Kevin Ojinga Kaala has called parents to be extra careful in the security of their children especially the girls in this long festive holiday.
Hon Kaala who lauded the teachers for the guidance they gave the primary seven and senior candidates alongside academics said the challenge is now on parents.
“The statistics that President Museveni gave people at Kamuge Saza grounds during his Bukedi region PDM tour that 82% of the children who enrol for primary one under UPE program dropout was very correct. 90% of these dropouts fall victim during holidays because parents are relaxed.”, Kaala said.
Kaala further cautioned parents and local authorities to be vigilant on their children because they are slippery and it becomes worse if they master your evening programs.
“The time parents come back from the trading centres is the time the children leave home after parents assurances that they are at home and get involved in drug abuse resulting to unwanted pregnancies, early marriages and some of them get wasted,” Kaala said.
She added that on the 6th of December after the official closure of schools as per the Ministry of Education and Sports calendar, the rest of the learners will get to the community and it’s the responsibility of parents to take care of them.
On the increasing cases of defilement in the area, Hon Kaala said communities have mistaken it as a serious case only when the girl becomes pregnant. “This is purely having a sexual affair with a person below 18 years. Sometimes people say my son was arrested yet the girl was not even pregnant. The law is very clear”, Kaala said, decrying how shameful it is for “your children to have matters settled with the police when you’re around.”
Bosco Okolong the LC3 Chairperson of Chelekura sub-county said he has instructed all LC1s in his sub-county to ensure all water sources are out of bounds by 6:30 pm because these are fertile areas where girls are boys meet in the evening and become sexually active leading to the mess up.
Okolong said boreholes during the daytime are not crowded but youth love being there up to late which endangers them.
Magid Dhikusooka, the Pallisa Resident District Commissioner said the problem of people crowding in boreholes is getting sorted in most communities as government and partner organizations like Innovation Africa are now scattering piped water to people’s homes.
Dhikusooka who commissioned 48 tap water sources at Kadoki village in Pallisa sub-county added that innovation Africa provided most communities will have safe water sources commissioned soon like Opadoi in Akisim sub-county.
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