The Acholi traditions hold incest a ‘taboo’ but where children are involved, their struggle is silently lethal and for such a child, paying for ‘misdeeds’ of their parents is a daily painful lifetime.
David Onen Acana II covering himself with leopard skin as he sits amidist the delegates at Kaunda Grounds in Gulu City during the Acholi Cultural Festival-Photo By Simon Wokoarch
Until she
was detached from paternal care, Jovia Laker (not her real name) realized she
was not just fighting for parental love but also carrying the burdens handed
down by traditions that had banished her to a life of rejection. When her
birth was confirmed as the result of incest, her father, who is a blood brother
to her mother, was separated from the family. The mother moved to live with her
maternal relatives, while the father remained in his home.
The Acholi
traditions hold incest as a taboo, but when children are involved, the
consequences are silently lethal. For children like Laker, paying for the
“misdeeds” of their parents becomes a painful, lifelong struggle. “You aren’t
a child of blessing, you don’t have a father, this isn’t your home, this isn’t
your father and you must not come back here because you will become insane or
die if you do,” Laker narrates.
There is no
substantial data on the number of children living on the streets of Gulu. The
police estimate the number to be about 600, although researchers believe the
actual figure is likely higher. The 2023
Uganda Police Force annual report recorded 13,144 defilement cases, with 12,818
victims being female and 326 male.
The report
highlights that 97 girls were defiled by their biological fathers, while 90
were defiled by their guardians, totaling 236 cases registered within the year. Media and
Gender Specialist Dr. Patricia Litho noted that sexual violations continue to
expose children to vulnerability, leading some to live on the streets while others
are raised by guardians.
The Struggle of a Child Born from Incest
Within three
years of her birth, Laker’s father was a mystery. Her mother kept it a secret,
telling her family that her father had gone to work in a foreign land. The truth
surfaced when a land title document leaked, showing her name as a successor to
her father’s property. This sparked the search for her father, and it was no
longer a secret that Laker was born from incest.
Her paternal
care was forbidden. She not only lost her home but also found herself
fatherless, surrounded by moral questions as she fought for survival while
society looked the other way. Dr. Patricia
argues that once children go through such devastation, it affects their
confidence and lowers their self-esteem. She urges families to ensure the
safety of their children at home.
Life with Guardians
Now 19,
Laker has lost count of the many primary schools she attended before sitting
for her Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) in 2024, constantly moving from one
guardian to another for shelter. At just 13,
when her grandmother began to fall ill, Laker was chosen to care for her while
she was about to sit for her Primary Seven exams.
“My
grandmother kept telling me, ‘Laker, although I die, don’t cry because I have
become of age. If you find me lying dead, just clean my body and call people to
come and pick me up and bury,’” she recalls. But adapting
to a new life was tough. While other children went to school, Laker would
prepare food for the family before leaving for class.
“I had to
balance school with chores. I would sleep for four hours each day. My mother
once told me that girls don’t sleep early,” Laker says. Her
grandmother was battling chronic illness. “I had to be there each time she
would ease herself, and I made sure nobody knew what I was carrying to the
toilet,” Laker explains.
A Life of Isolation
Laker’s
parents were both 18 and 19 years old when she was conceived, and her mother
conceived just months before her Primary Leaving Examination. “Laker,
don’t you know you are born under the desk?” Laker reflects with a wistful
smile as she remembers her many encounters with caregivers.
Although she
needed someone to confide in, this was a far-fetched dream as her life was
regulated away from her peers. Her world revolved around her grandmother and a
few elderly people. Often, tears
would drive her on her way to school, but she would wipe them away before
entering class.
“I told our
senior female teacher about what I was going through at home. She didn’t
believe me. She said, ‘Laker, children don’t do what you’re telling me. Don’t
be stupid, go back to class and concentrate.’” Her struggle
is far from over, but her grandmother has recognized her potential. She warns
her of the challenges she will likely face.
“Not
everyone who looks at you will take you merely. If you haven’t recognized that,
then you should know that everyone who sees you isn’t a mere dog,” Laker
recalls a night whisper from her grandmother. “You are
such a beautiful young girl growing up that every man would pray for, be it a
youth like you or older men. Be careful, because you aren’t that ugly,” she
laughs.
This advice
inspired Laker to embark on a journey to represent Uganda with her beauty,
though she knows that cultural barriers will make her path difficult. Today, she
envisions becoming Miss Uganda and an orthopedic doctor. She is waiting for her
results from the 2024 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) before proceeding
to higher secondary school.
“I want to
be that child my mother will rely on. I am her only hope, her only child. But I
think I have become stronger than her. Each time she cries, I am the one who
calms her down,” Laker notes.
How Incest is Driving Homeless Children onto the
Streets of Gulu
Between
April and December 2024, Uganda Radio Network conducted a random survey in Gulu
City, revealing a link between some street children and incest.
The survey,
carried out on 13 children aged between 7 and 19, found that 10 of them were
living on the streets through interconnected criminal networks, while 3 were
receiving rehabilitation at community-based centers.
Justice
Kidega (not his real name) did not know his father until he was 13 years old.
His mother had told him his father died a month after he was conceived.
While
playing with his peers, rumors about his father’s whereabouts spread. He was
eventually chased away after his father impregnated his own sister.
“I came back
home from swimming and burned three grass-thatched houses. How can her brother
be my father when she told me my father was dead? But that’s it,”Kidega
recalls.
His mother
eventually admitted the truth and took him to his father, who had settled in a
distant place with another woman. But like many others, Kidega ended up on the
streets of Gulu.
Family Breakdown in Acholi
Acholi
Paramount Chief David Onen Acana II acknowledges the challenges faced by
families, particularly in the wake of the conflict that displaced many people
into camps.
Acana
explains that, traditionally, incest cases were kept secret to protect the
child from stigma.
When such cases became public, the child would be separated
from the father and sent to live with the maternal family.
When incest
results in a child, Acana says that rituals are performed to separate the
couple, ensuring they are no longer involved with one another.
“Before
separation, a lamb is slaughtered, its liver is cut in half, mixed with bitter
herbs, and incantations are spoken by the elders. The couple must swallow the
mixture to signify the end of their relationship,” Acana notes.
However,
when incest occurs over generations, a pot is broken, placed on the roof, and
the family begins a new lineage.
“We haven’t
interacted with these children because they don’t open up, but those whom we
find and don’t have homes, the chiefs will take care of them,” Acana adds.
//Cue in:
“Ci lok me…
Cue out...nongo oturu wat.”//
Translation: Incest isn’t allowed in Acholi...If that happens, you have to
be separated with some rituals performed... People can marry after eight
generations, but some can marry even after five generations, and there are
rules to guide that. Children born from incest must be taken to live in their
maternal land…
Who Benefits from Street Children?
While
researchers highlight conflict as a key factor in pushing children onto the
streets, there is disagreement on how to manage the emerging challenges of
street children. African
Centre for Research Executive Director Author Owori notes that some street
children are there to survive, while others are victims of a failing social
system.
“It’s hard
to quantify children on the streets as a result of incest, but these children
are considered a ‘floating population’ linked to criminality as a mode of
survival,” Owori states. Owori also
points out that political figures often use street children for personal gain,
while commercial farmers exploit them for labor.
“There has
been little focus on incest as a cause of homelessness, but this is a new
landscape that needs special attention,” Owori observes. “If we
institutionalize them, we’ll only make the streets more attractive due to
pervasive incentives. But for those born from incest, it’s taboo, and the
juvenile courts should handle it,” he concludes.
//Cue in:
“Yes, we realized…
Cue out…children do exist.”//
“See this girl as a product of incest. I imagine some are infected with chronic
diseases, others are raped and have children they don’t even know the fathers
of. Where is their world?” Dr. Patricia asks.
Healing from the Streets
Surviving on
the streets is complex and dangerous. Some children fall victim to mob action,
but others, like Kidega, are finding healing. Within six
months on the streets, Kidega landed his first job. The scrap dealers had
employed him to collect bottles on the streets in exchange for a plate of food
each day, as he recalls.
However,
through his network, Kidega was connected to Hashtag, a youth-focused
organization managing the reformation, rehabilitation, and remigration of street
children in Northern Uganda.
He was
enrolled in a four-month hands-on skill training that initially started with
drama and short film production, equipping him with the performing arts skills
for both survival and therapy.
Like others,
Kidega notes that drama not only relieves his pains from the streets but also
shares its proceeds. He now plans to buy his own pieces of land in rural areas
to build his home.
The
Executive Director of Hashtag, Michael Ojok, revealed that over the last two
years, the center has reunited about 75 street children with their families
within the Acholi Sub-region.
//Cue in:
“Our program starts…
Cue out…with
their families.”//
Additionally,
500 other children who sought health care were linked to treatments for
sexually transmitted diseases, post-abortion care, respiratory diseases, and
skin diseases through their partnered health facilities.
Ojok noted
that, through theater productions, the children communicate their challenges
and grievances.
Some have even featured in local movies, where they earn their
livelihoods.
“For a girl,
people look at her as a source of income, and her challenges start much later.
But for a boy, the challenges start right after birth because he is considered
a threat,” Ojok highlighted.
//Cue in:
“This seems to…
Cue out…the
problem is.”//
Uganda
criminalizes incest through the Sexual Offences Bill, and cultures would
condemn such children, but for Laker and others, their struggles are far from
over as they continue to battle their identity crisis.