Justice Mike Chibita to Officiate at the Hope Event- International Conference & Gala

Justice Michael Chibita, a Ugandan lawyer and judge, who serves on the Supreme Court of Uganda, is expected to officiate at Hope Event: International Conference & Gala at Serena Hotel on Friday 15th July 2022.

Justice Micheal Chibita

The proposed theme of the event is “Ending Child Sacrifice and Human Trafficking: Building Momentum for the Quest for Justice” and is organized by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), in partnership with Kyampisi Childcare Ministries, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD), Ministry of Internal Affairs, Uganda Police, Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children, Human Trafficking Institute and other international organizations.

Among the Keynote Speakers is Prof. Michael Sherr who is expected to join other individuals and organizations in bringing to light the voices of children for shared commitment to end child sacrifice and human trafficking for child wellbeing.

According to organizers, Hope Event is intended to create awareness to end child sacrifice and human trafficking worldwide. It is also intended to be an opportunity to bring together multiple stakeholders from the Government of Uganda, Non-governmental organizations, international organizations, the private sector and concerned citizens to dialogue and prioritize response to rescue, rehabilitate and to prosecute cases of child sacrifice and human trafficking, and build momentum to combat these harmful practices in our society.

‘’This year’s Hope Event commemoration coincides with the commemoration of the Day of the African Child (DAC) and the World’s Day against Trafficking in Persons. This event will be a buildup event to the commemoration of the International World’s Day against Human Trafficking. It will provide an opportune moment for stakeholders to deeply reflect on the contribution made towards the realization of the aspirations set out in the SDG 8.7’’, reads a statement from the organizers.

In 2013, ODPP, MoGLSD and Kyampisi Childcare Ministries had the very first Hope Event. Since then, this event is held annually and contributes directly to KCM strategic objective and ODPP’s mission “to manage and prosecute criminal cases in courts of judicature in order to reduce the rate of crime in the country”.

The event itself was named after Hope, a child sacrifice survivor who suffered a great deal through the hands of her tormentors that left her disabled for life.

This year’s Hope Event contributes to specific objectives of; Building awareness on how use and abuse of technology has escalated incidences of Human Trafficking and Child Sacrifice; Advocate for a multi-sectoral approach in providing services to the victims, Increase awareness and change mindsets on issues of child abuse, ritual sacrifice, and mutilation of children and Empower the community in prevention, identifying, response to incidents of human trafficking and human sacrifice at all levels.

The event is aligned to target 16.2 of the SDGs which is to End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children by contributing to; reduction of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers and rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking and child sacrifice in Uganda.

Organizers say the Objectives of Hope Event include; raising awareness at the local and national level on the persistence of trafficking and child sacrifice worldwide, Provide a forum for dialogue and sharing with partners including children on the enacted “Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Act, 2021,Lobby duty-bearers to demonstrate commitment to end child sacrifice and trafficking at all levels and Building momentum for the development of the national action plan to end child sacrifice in Uganda.

It is expected that the event will; Expand accountability to address ending child sacrifice and human trafficking at community and national Level, Increase awareness on the laws to end child sacrifice and human trafficking and its impact and treatment of survivors and Heighten mobilization of the community and duty bearers to promote collective responsibility to eliminate all forms of human sacrifice and human trafficking in communities.

‘’Hope Gala will be an awareness gala targeting about 500 beneficiaries and duty bearers including children. It will will crown with Music, Poems, Songs, Drama, Speeches, Film and Awards .’’, reads further the statement.

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