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/ Rose's Journey In 1989, as a young girl, Rose Nanyonga was forced to leave her family’s village in Uganda. She was alone and as a female in Uganda without family protection, she had little hope. At the root of her forced departure was her unwillingness to take part in child sacrifice. This witchcraft ritual, common in sections of rural Uganda, had driven a wedge between Rose and her family. Upon leaving her village Rose began a 52 kilometer journey that would take her from her home village of Bamunanika to Kiwoko. Amidst the hopelessness of this journey she found Ian and Robbie Clarke, Irish citizens working to establish better medical care in Uganda. This encounter with the Clarke’s would forever alter the direction of Rose’s life. Under their care, Rose would once again be part of a family. She also began a career in nursing which would lead to her working as Director of Clinical Operations at International Hospital Kampala (IHK) in Uganda. Today Rose balances responsibilities with IHK, a Ph.D program at Yale University, and assistance to numerous organizations including Narrow Road where she serves as a board member. On July 11, 2009, with the support and company of many, Rose will walk the same 52 kilometers from Bamunanika to Kiwoko. This journey, 20 years after her initial footsteps on this path, has three goals: 1) Raise $10,000 to establish a scholarship fund for future Ugandan nurses. 2) Raise $15,000 for use in the Hope Ward of IHK where charitable medical care is provided. 3) Provide an additional platform to increase awareness about child sacrifice. This summer, Rose is going back to Uganda to re-trace the 50km journey. She wants to shed light on child sacrificing that still takes place in her village today and to raise money for nursing scholarships of children in Uganda. DTJ has been invited to photograph and film Rose’s journey and story. Follow the journey from our perspective on: Twitter and on DTJ's Blog / The Issue of Child Sacrifice: Police statistics indicate that of the average 3,000 children who disappear from their homes in Uganda annually, 200-300 are child sacrifice cases. In December 2008 alone, a total of 15 children were reported as victims of child sacrifice. Child sacrifice is the ritualistic killing of children in order to please, propitiate or appease supernatural beings in order to achieve a desired result. As such, it is a form of human sacrifice. It is a ritual practice usually done by witch doctors whereby different parts of the body are cut off from humans and offered to these “Spirits” with the intention of getting a reward; many times money / wealth. The reality is that many children reported as disappearance cases are actually victims of child sacrifice practices. However, this information is never brought to public notice. This reality, compounded by the fact that not all cases are actually reported to the police, makes it impossible to know the exact magnitude of the problem. In the concluding remarks of the UNCRC report on Uganda 2005, committee members identified the absence of a comprehensive body of knowledge on the problem of child sacrifice as a major obstacle to fighting the vice. Article 22 (1) of the 1995 Constitution of Republic of Uganda states that “no person shall be deprived of life intentionally.” Further, Section 188 of the Penal Code Act Cap. 120, creates the offense of murder for any person who intentionally causes the death of another person by an unlawful act. A child is by reason of Section 197 of the same Act deemed to be a person and therefore any person who unlawfully causes the death of a child is guilty of murder upon conviction by a competent court. Article 6 (1) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Uganda is a party States that Parties shall recognize that every child has the inherent right to life. Despite these international and national normative standards, Uganda continues to grapple with the challenge of protecting children against abuse, including the destructive practice of Child Sacrifice. / Links: |
