With children, pictures appeal
and working with visual prompts help them to see concepts that may be hard
visualize.
In Kabaale Primary School in
Kamuli District of Eastern Uganda, the children had a pictorial representation
of what they understand with Violence Against Children. In their mother tongue
LUSOGA they found it hard to express what they understand once you mention
violence against children; but given a maker pen and flip chart they came up
with pictures that implied that they had a lot to talk about the topical issue
of Violence Against Children. Looking at this flip chart without any further
explanation, you truly see violence done to children in this community. Carrying
heavy loads (bricks), burning them,
severe beating and defilement among others are most prominent. This exercise
was done before any information on violence against children was given to them.
Interestingly; as you do stretch
from East to the North of Uganda (Tororo, Kamuli and Lira) acts of violence
against children keep changing depending on the social economic and cultural
set up. But on the whole, all forms of violence against children namely:
Physical, Psychological, Sexual and Economic violence exist among children in
these communities.
