It has emerged that some Ugandan parents are exchanging their school-going daughters for cows and goats at local open air markets. A report by Uganda’s Daily Monitor has revealed that residents of Aromo sub-county in Lira district, have become infamous for trading young girls like goods in the market.
Some of the teenagers, the report claimed, are removed from school by their parents and sold off to boys who want to marry them in exchange for cows. Joel Otwal, head teacher of Walela Primary School in Lira district, confirmed the incidents. He revealed that at least 15 girls from his school were sold by their parents in 2017. “It is a huge challenge. Our efforts to talk the parents out of the practice by preaching to them the significance of girl-child education have not been very fruitful,” Otwal said.
The girls are said to be as young as 15 years old and are forced to get married so that their parents can receive wealth in the form of cattle. Since marriage of underage girls is prohibited in the country and punishments are stiff, the parents do the arrangements it utmost secrecy.
No marriage ceremony is held back home to avoid grabbing attention of the local leaders and authorities. Some of the open air markets where the forbidden trade is reportedly ongoing include Aswa market, which operates every Tuesday, Wanglobo, Corner Aye and Tik-ngo Okeli market.
The teens’ parents reportedly visit these markets to meet the boys’ parents for negotiations on number of cows they will accept for their daughters. Once the marriage deal is sealed, the girls are handed over to the boy and their parents take home the cows. When asked where the cattle came from, they simply say they bought them from the market. And when questioned on the whereabouts of their daughters, they give excuses like: “she went to visit a long distance relative”.
According to Aromo Sub-county female youth councilor, Vicky Angwech, the old and outlawed marriage style is still rampant in the region. “Several of these young school girls are married off by their parents without the knowledge of local leaders,” Angwech said.
Credit: Daily Monitor
