{UAH} A CHILD WITH NODDING SYNDROME NOW IS HIV POSTIVE

Double tragedy as HIV positive child mother struggles with nodding syndrome

§  Health

§  victimes affected by nodding disease raped

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By Ronnie Layoo

Pader

The communities in Burlobo parish Angagura sub county Pader district have failed to come into terms that children affected by nodding syndrome especially girl children need to be protected against all forms of abuses.

District officials from Pader district during the task force visits to affected areas were shocked to hear revelations from one of the parents of the affected child Iren Lalam that her child has given birth having been raped by her HIV positive step-father.

Lalam said in the meeting that she is unable to come a long with her daughter because she is weak and unable to walk after giving birth one week ago.

‘‘The father died of HIV/Aids and when I remarried I never wanted to move to another home so my new husband Komakech Patrick started living with me, but instead when I went to the garden he raped my daughter who was only 14 years by then’’ Lalam Noted.

She says that her daughter is currently infected by HIV/aids at the same time suffering from nodding syndrome, stating that doctors have still recommended Aspirine.

She says that after the incidence she reported the matter to police and Komakech was arrested but due to long distance and financial constraints, she was unable to follow up the case and Komakech was released.

Lalam says that this is not the only incidence another relative Komakech Walter also raped the same girl and when he was caught red handed, clan members sat down in a meeting and Walter was given strokes.

She says that Walter continued with his habit whenever she went to the garden until he was arrested and taken to prison and charged with aggravated defilement but he managed to escape.

She says that when Walter returned he vowed that he will continue raping the minor until he made her pregnant which he did.

Lalam says that she couldn’t intervene as the elder in the home was promising to curse who ever talks about the issues in public.

This was confirmed by officer in charge Pader prison Anthony Opio who noted that it’s a crime to hide prison break convict, and information that has reached them indicated that residents in Libe Village Angagura Sub County are hiding the suspect Komakech walter.

Opio noted that it’s against Uganda laws to abuse children rights and when such circumstances happen there is no way issues can be settle at a family level but law enforcement arms of government need to be involved so that such culprits are isolated from the public.

Lalams child incidence is among the four cases of nodding syndrome girl children that have given birth after being raped yet below 15 years in the sub county.

According to the social workers Ms. Susan Auma Adong working with caritas handling the syndrome victims says that they have formed groups of families affected by the disease and families which don’t have the diseases so that they can begin working together to address the situation.

She says that they have formed over 30 village’s groups of loans and saving groups, they have distributed seedlings to the families who cultivate in shifts and giving out supplementary feeding to the affected children.

Adong adds that they have encouraged the group members to have kitchen gardens to help solve the problems food shortages and balance diet to the victims since it’s hard to take drugs on empty stomach and the group members have each been supplied with sim-sim and bean seeds, 250,000= startup capital, cash boxes, books and calculators and their saving has impressed them.

Adong says that conditions of the families varies noting that in families were both parents are cooperative the children respond to medication is normally great and in families which are associated with divorce, high alcohol consumption and irresponsibility the children are in a more vulnerable position and in most times end up dying.

To prove this another minor 15 years whose parents died during the days of the internally displaced camps? And the father was poisoned in 2012 is also holding a five month old baby.

The minor says that in 2012 while living in Lacekocot she was sent to the nearby shop to buy home items and as she moved along the bushy roads a young man way laid her and raped her.

She says that the wife of the father brother took her to the nearest health center and they come back without any clear information.

She says that the relatives of their father abandoned her and the sister long ago claiming that they feed too much and currently being look after by a village health team official.

The minors says that all she wants is a house to be built for her and her sister who are both have nodding syndrome as well as she needs the baby to be taken away from her as she can’t look after the baby with her condition because when the sickness strikes she unable to breast feed, on top of that they stay hunger most of the times.

Available figures of children affected by nodding syndrome in the four sub counties of Awere, Angagura, Atang and Laguri stands at 2,000 children are suffering as 1000 are affected with nodding syndrome and 700 affected with nodding and epilepsy.

Mr. Mark Okot the caritas program officer handling nodding syndrome in Pader also said that they couldn’t operate in the whole district due to financial constraints and there are other sub counties which have been left out yet the prevalence of nodding syndrome is also high.

He says that children who have been taking their medications and good feeding are experiencing improvement unlike in the past were the syndrome was uncontrollable, noting that conditions of the children are much better than in the past but more drugs and supplementary feeding need to be availed.

Field officer human rights officer Pader district Yusu Amina says that it’s a fundamental right that all children despite of the conditions should access education, medication, feeding and proper shelter.

Ms. Amina noted that it’s the government responsibility to provide medication and education to all children there for affected children shouldn’t be abused sexually, stigmatized or denied access to education which is happening.

The chairman LCV Pader Alfred Akena says that they are conducting monthly outreaches in the affected areas so that families with victims are able to come in terms with their conditions.

He say that the district is facing challenges in documentation of victims as in most times parents don’t want to reveal conditions of their children to the village health teams and whenever the child dies no information is given even at the local council level.

Akena noted that they are development data base which will contain the actual figures of children who have died and those surviving with the disease.

He says that much is still desired in terms of sensitizing the community to protect the girl children against sexual abuses.

He says that as the district they are set to distribute Ox-plough given under the PRDP program to families affected by the nodding syndrome so as to improve on the cultivation and food security.

The RDC Pader district Justine Lungajole however says that the district officials never had deliberate efforts to intervene in rescuing the situation of children affected by nodding syndrome.

He says that the district had an ambulance but it was only rehabilitated when the president visited the district which shows that the district officials are not doing much to contain the syndrome and apprehend those abusing the young’s girls.

On addition RDC noted that over 40 million is lying idle in the district and yet the children affected need service to be provided to them he said that the government shouldn’t be blame for not doing enough but the local leaders don’t have a heart to take care of these children.

With the new findings from the center of disease control in the USA Claiming that crystals are found in the brains of the children this is a milestone in discovering what caused the disease and probable the cure can be discovered.

But as the years go by the challenges the girl’s children affected by the syndrome seems to be increasing

 

 

EM

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