Religious leaders ask the government to speed up formulation of family policy

By Joseph Omollo 

Religious leaders in Tororo district have raised concern over the surging number of couples opting to live single lives even when their partners are still alive.

The servants of God made their observations during the belated International day of the family organized by the district in partnership with Hope for family at  international Boma grounds.

The Bishop of Bukedi diocese Rev Samuel George Bogere Egesa said the growing number of single parents across the district is an indication that the family has been attacked and called for concerted efforts to save the Ugandan family as a way of saving the children.

“If unchecked, this trend shall destroy the fundamental character of Uganda and reap untold harm onto our most vulnerable and precious members of society and in this case our Children” said the Bishop.

He appealed to the government to consider creating a special fund that will support especially single mothers.

Pastor Annet Kimbowa of High Life Ministries International Church decried the growing number of children joining street life and urged the government to partner with members of the civil society to see how to champion parenting sessions in communities.

 “We have done our part as church leaders but we feel the government needs to come up with a law that may help to bind families,” she remarked.

“We urge our media houses, our religious leaders, our community elders, and the concerned government agencies to step up to the plate and make sure that the Ugandan Family remains the strong and respected institution as it has historically been.”

According to pastor Kimbowa, the day is meant to assess the impact of global trends to the traditional families in Uganda.

However, the minister of state for disability affairs Hellen Grace Asmao disclosed that government is in the final process of formulating family policy to support constructive parenting, integrating family perspectives into national policy making and designing more strategies and national development programs.

She said the policy is aimed at strengthening national capacities to address priorities to family issues specially to ensure sustainable development.

The minister added that the policy will promote family life and strengthen families in Uganda through adopting a holistic approach to families as compared to other policies or legislations that are primarily focused on individuals.

Asamo said the policy seeks to guide the various stakeholders in promoting and safeguarding the importance of the family, addressing the challenges affecting the family institution and ensuring its capacity to fulfill its social, cultural, economic and political functions.

She said the policy framework further advocates for establishment of a coordinating implementing and monitoring structures which will ensure that the best interest of the three groups that include the individual, family and community are achieved.

‘’Through the family policy we also seek to achieve the following; reaffirm the relevance of a family as critical unit in the society, to maximize the participation and commitments of all sectors in strengthening family life, to ensure balance between work and family life, to ensure that families have access to services and strengthening families so that they can be able to take care of the children’’ Asamo said.

She said one of the major problems affecting families is the problem of domestic violence, especially gender based valence which she said will be addressed by the policy making the parents good role models for their children.

‘’Violence against women, many of whom are mothers, remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the country, Family abandonment and neglect by fathers is also another critical challenge we need to address. It has caused an increase in single parent homes. These have far reaching consequences endangering the lives of women and children and harming families and communities. Preventing family violence and strengthening family cohesion should be key priority for all of us’’ Asamo further said.

Asamo called upon couples to share family secrets to avoid confusion at death, adding that the habit of parents introducing children to their neighbors as aunties and uncles in town without taking them to the villages to meet the real relatives should be discouraged.

John Okeya the Tororo district chairman decried the increasing cases of single parenting saying its indication of couples losing interest and love for one another while calling for counseling sessions.

Okeya said most programs are geared at women’s emancipation and fighting gender based violence leaving focus on family issues.  He called for the review of most of the laws and ensure that family issues are integrated in genders issues.