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86.9 percent of rape victims in Uganda are girls between the ages of 9 and 17.

75 percent of 15 to 24 year-olds living with HIV in Africa are female.

Unfortunately we just learned the truth of these sobering statistics first hand. Thirty beautiful, sensitive girls were brave enough to tell us their story. No child should have to endure what they have. But as horrible as the news was, we’re thrilled to report that our Girl Power Project is making massive headway in rooting out cases of sexual abuse against girls, and empowering entire communities to stand up and protect their children.

Here’s the story:

Our staff in Uganda recently conducted a girls’ empowerment training program at one of the schools we are looking to rebuild. During the course of the training, these timid, often submissive 7 to 12-year-old girls developed the courage to let our staff know that most of them (30 in total) had been defiled by a teacher at their school. Defilement is the term used for rape of a girl who is under twelve! The rapes took place when the children were in nursery school.

There’s quite a bit to sort out and our heroic staff on the ground is pursuing all of the means available to them. The last two weeks, our staff has been working closely with our team of legal consultants and empowerment experts to leverage the full extent of the law. They’ve conducted interviews with the girls, filed police reports, and met with the community to encourage them to protect their children. This type of legal action is rarely pursued due to corruption, fear and ignorance. But The Girl Power Project is helping to move human rights issues to the forefront and empower parents and children to fight for what’s right.

In an extraordinary shift in events, the teacher accused of these rapes has been arrested and Just Like My Child is helping to build a case against him. This case will build huge momentum for our program moving forward. The girls and the community will hear about this issue, they will be more aware of their rights and most of all they will see that there are legal consequences. This all leads to girls realizing they have a voice, trusting us and speaking up so that we can ensure justice and hope are restored.

It raises our awareness that heinous incidents like this must be happening in the other villages we serve. Our positive momentum in serving justice makes us more committed than ever to spread legal awareness.

Through The Girl Power Project and Project Justice, Just Like My Child will continue to conduct these essential trainings so that the girls know there is a resource for them, and they are empowered to come forward. The more confidence a girl feels, the more she can demonstrate this in the community. She learns to make eye contact and carry herself with a strong presence. This small difference can be the difference between being a target for abuse and being left alone to have a safe childhood.

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