As can be expected, the video that went viral of the Ugandan toddler who was shown being unmercifully tortured caused international outrage. Who wouldn’t seethe in anger when it was very clear that everything on that video was as real as real can get? Anyway, so in the wake of pressure from the United Nations, the Ugandan Government has set out to make sure that all domestic workers are certified by police before they can be eligible for work. Here is why this might just be a useless solution.
Firstly, maybe the real question should be why would a domestic worker treat a child like that? Is it perhaps repressed fury at treatment by the child’s parents? We all know of people who treat their household workers as if they are worse than second class citizens do we not? Sometimes they are not given food, pathetic wages here and there and just basic horrible treatment. And even though this is no reason for anyone to treat a child in the manner we saw that beautiful and adorable little girl being treated, it is however an issue that should be looked into because if workers still feel dissatisfied, then our children are never going to be safe.
And what does it even mean to be certified? To just be given a certificate that says you have no criminal record? How else are they going to ensure that an individual who wants to work as a maid or gardener is not a silent pedophile? How are they going to see that this person is not a silent short tempered individual with no love whatsoever for children? It’s not like there is a training academy for domestic work is there? So there are no lecturers to give reference. And previous employers? Come on, we all know anyone can come up with those.
We haven’t even gotten into how this will just become tedious extra work for the police. And you know how bureaucrats end up just making things routine. People will just line up, bring whatever is needed and then get the certificate or whatever it is they will get without so much as a serious thought to it.
The main onus I would think should be on every individual who decides to get paid help. One should be extremely shrewd where employing someone who is not only going to come into your home but in whose care you are going to leave your children is concerned. Serious security should be in every household. Be it a member of the family being always with the child and maid, nanny cams, Day Care – honestly if people are going to wait for the government to take care of their children, then these kids are in much more trouble than we initially thought.
Not to say that we do not appreciate the efforts of the Ugandan government to try and come up with a solution for this as opposed to doing nothing, however, every one with a child should make it his/her personal duty to make sure the child is safe.
