By John Semakula
Christians have a role to play in ensuring that women and children are protected against abuse such as rape and sexual abuse, according to Wamaitha Kimani, director of the International Justice Mission’s in Uganda.
Delivering a sermon at Uganda Christian University‘s ThornyCroft Chapel on Sunday, Kimani urged congregants not to be bystanders as violence against women and children happens in their communities.
“When you are in a crowd, it diffuses responsibility,” she said. “It also diffuses blame. Sometimes you look around and think maybe, I am understanding the situation differently or maybe the person is not in trouble. So, you step back and don’t do anything. With the bystander effect, the more people witness an emergence, the less likely they will act.”
But Kimani added that there is a way to change that narrative.
“It is when one person does something, and then anyone else will try to do something. The crowd will not do anything, but one person does something. Justice is not done in mobs. It is done by an individual.”
She cited a 15th August judgment at Kabale High Court in Western Uganda where a 68-year-old grandfather from Kisoro District was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing his granddaughter.
“Amidst intimidation from family members to have the case swept under the carpet, the father of the victim stood his ground and sought justice for his daughter,” she said. “The victim’s father was the son of the perpetrator. In what turned out to be a ripple effect, the Uganda Police last week announced a related case from the same region, in which a prominent politician is facing charges of defilement.”
