By Seguya Musa
Child abuse and forced marriages are still highly practiced in Karamoja sub-region despite government fighting tooth and nail to abolish them. Parents in Karamoja terribly beat up their 14-year-old daughter for refusing to marry a 78-year-old man.
According to the head of the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers Karamoja sub-office, Ms Mercy Munduru, “FIDA receives about 20 cases of underage forced marriage on a weekly basis in the district”.
Talking to one of the residents in Karamoja region, he informed our reporter that the main cause of underage marriages is the negative attitude towards education where they believe that it delays the process for them to reap from their girls forcing them to get married so that they can get money and get rid of poverty.
Photo credit: Daily Monitor