Police has warned film producers against recklessly posting wild videos of child torture on various social media platforms, disregarding regulations by the Uganda Communication Commission.
Police say they have observed that there is a growing trend in the public where filmmakers and actors alike have resorted to posting their work on social media platforms giving a wrong message to the public that child torture cases are on the rise.
While addressing the media at a security briefing in Naguru, Uganda Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga, said film producers usually fail to differentiate between drama and real life scenarios when promoting their content.
Enanga said the police have engaged with the UCC to sanction anyone who fails to heed to this warning.
“To the public these videos are being misinterpreted as real life incidents of violence and this is very dangerous. This is a warning, an increasing number of videos are being shared on Youtube, Instagram, Whatsapp, Twitter but they don’t characterise them as movie videos.he said.
“The recent incident was that of a mother dramatasing child torture where she is seen digging a pit latrine, without any health precautions. She dumped the kid in the pit and covered [it] with soil. In another movie, a step mother is seen pouring urine on a child while in another, a step mother battered a minor and when the IGP ordered her arrest, we realised it is a Ugandan skit.”he said further
Enanga has therefore advised film makers to follow guidelines by UCC and film boards that provide for one to distinguish between movie or real violence before posting any dramatic content.
He says despite violent content selling on the market, it is associated with many negative attributes like inciting children into such acts, recurrent nightmares among others.
Enanga has also implored parents to always follow age restrictions when watching movies because the frequent exposure can cause a child to become insensitive to human suffering by treating such incidents as normal.
The Police spokeperson says real life incidents of aggravated child torture still exist and adds that the child and family protection unit has continued to register such incidents including physical violence, deprivation of sleep and minimal amounts of food.
He explains that 33 incidents of aggravated child torture have been recorded in Kampala. The latest was in Kabalagala where a mother was captured on camera caning a baby, who was later rescued and taken to a shelter home in Nsambya.
“During this time of lockdown period we have noticed an increase in cases of child abuse and torture, due to anger and frustration, fatigue, poverty but in most cases parents have alleged that the children are hard to control hence the beating but that does not mean you beat them.”Enanga stated.
Minah Nalule
