RX Radio presenter Olive Najjuma believes that some homicides in Uganda are inflating due to psychological pain among people.
She said this following a police statement indicating an increase in homicide cases for the last two weeks where children are subjected to acts of torture and some toddlers have lost their lives.
“In Oyam district a 23 year old mother poisoned herself and her two infants one aged 3 and the other 2 months old because of repeated rebukes and insults from her mother. The two children died at Atapara hospital while their mother remains in critical condition,” the statement partly read.
“I have an idea of what it felt like being in her position. Staying with someone who constantly makes you feel like you're not good enough. In some cases it can be simple things like cooking food and they will constantly remind you of how you're a bad cook, or how you're worthless because you have young children, you keep living through this,” said Olive Najjuma during the Fatboy Show.
“What people don't realize is that when they do this to you, they are actually abusing you and this causes a mental issue in the long run. Psychologists will also tell you that most people who decide to commit suicide is because they are dealing with something concerning their mental health,” she added.
Olive added that mental abuse is common with African parents especially mothers who sometimes tend to be narcissistic towards their children. Her co-host Sarah Apollo posited that the cycle of toture is recurrent and passed from generation to generation where mothers will treat their children the same way they were treated.
In the same line of events, in Kayunga District three women conspired in aggravated toture and murder of the 4 year old Kadaga Ajila, whose legs and arms were bruised and burnt causing her eventual death. The three are currently being held in custody at Kiwangaala village in Busana sub-county.
“I believe that people who do or cause harm to children in this manner are basically lashing out because they probably went through the same kind of treatment. It is the case of the bullied now becoming the bully because you can't throw your frustration onto the person who caused you that pain, you find a weaker person to lash out too because they can't do anything about it,” said Sarah.
The presenters proposed that parents revise their parenting skills and those of the people whom they leave their children with. They also suggested a need for mental health awareness for parents/ guardians and society as a whole.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive and Sarah every weekday from 6am to 10am on RX Radio.