Health and Hygiene: Maintaining cleanliness helps in preventing illnesses and diseases. Youthful energy and vitality can be sustained through good health practices, which start with cleanliness in personal hygiene and surroundings.

Habit Formation: Encouraging cleanliness among the youth fosters habits that carry into adulthood. When instilled early, these habits become an integral part of their lifestyle.

Environmental Awareness: Teaching the importance of cleanliness cultivates environmental consciousness. Understanding the impact of cleanliness on the environment encourages responsible behaviors towards nature.

Respect for Surroundings: Cleanliness promotes respect for public spaces, including streets, parks, and communal areas. It instills a sense of responsibility and ownership for shared spaces.

Positive Social Image: Maintaining personal hygiene and a clean environment contributes to a positive social image. It enhances confidence, self-esteem, and the ability to interact comfortably in social settings.

Productivity and Focus: A clean and organized environment reduces distractions, enabling better focus and productivity. This is especially crucial for youth in their academic and professional endeavors.

In essence, instilling the value of cleanliness in youth not only contributes to their personal well-being but also nurtures responsible, environmentally conscious citizens for the future.

The media and other reports have in the recent past exposed the practice of giving children as young as 10 contraceptives claiming that this would prevent teenage pregnancy, abortion and would keep girls in schools. It has also come to light that some clinics and organizations which are donor funded are distributing contraceptives to underage children and yet the age of consent according to the Constitution of Uganda is 18 years.

What is even more disturbing is that due to loopholes and weaknesses in policies/laws, a Germany national for example, who was running an orphanage in Kalangala and who was suspected of defiling over 30 underage girls; some of who were found to have implants (contraceptives) inserted in them, was acquitted! During Police interrogation which was widely covered in the media, the German man said that the implants were inserted in the 12-14 year old girls at Marie Stopes. The response from an official from Marie Stopes who denied knowledge of the girls was, “It is, however, likely that some of the girls could have got contraceptives from our health workers because it is not our work to find out where they come from. Our duty is to provide services,” [http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1335283/kalangala-sex-scam-investigation-deepens]

Giving children contraceptives is not only harmful to their health; it also has negative moral, social, psychological, spiritual and academic consequences. Furthermore availing such serious life-altering and life-threatening services to children below the age of consent, without the knowledge or consent of parents directly undermines the parental rights and authority, which the Constitution gives parents.
It should be understood that if underage children become sexually active and/or get pregnant or get sexually transmitted infections, it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to be at the forefront of determining how these matters are handled.
As parents, guardians and citizens, it is our moral obligation and responsibility to protect children and to create an enabling environment where children can be raised in such a manner that they attain their maximum potential in life. This should be achieved without exposing children to any form of abuse and without violating their rights, dignity and innocence. And whenever children are abused or if their rights, dignity or innocence are being violated, it is our duty to standout, speak out and defend them without fear or favor.

PLEASE SIGN TO BACK THE PETITION

As citizens, we have a constitutional right to make our voices made known to our leaders and legislators through a petition. To this end we call on you as a parent, guardian or concerned adult citizens (18 and above) to IMMEDIATELY append your signature which will accompany the petition to Parliament. The petition will be asking Parliament to prohibit the distribution of contraceptives to underage children and to rectify the loopholes and weaknesses in the current policies/laws, so that there is adequate protection for the children of Uganda.

MOBILIZE OTHERS

As a concerned citizen and for the sake of our precious children, please send this information to as many other people as possible and encourage them to also sign and mobilize others to do the same. If you have already signed the hard copy signature sheet, you do not need to sign this online signature arrangement. You can however forward it to others in your sphere of influence. The deadline is fast approaching. Your prompt handling of this matter will be highly appreciated.

Stephen Langa
Executive Director
FAMILY LIFE NETWORK

This follows reports that Midlands State University students' reckless sexual behaviour had been singled out as a major driver of the HIV prevalence rate from 20 percent in 2014 to 23 percent last year. IMC has taken an initiative to encourage students to practice safe sex.

We have what is known as a "rape culture" in this country. Phrases such as "legitimate rape" have been thrown about by lawmakers for several years now. Trusting parents to teach their children to respect healthy boundaries is apparently not enough.

We need mandatory self defense and martial arts training as a required part of our children's education.

From 2009-2013, Child Protective Services agencies substantiated, or found strong evidence to indicate that, 63,000 children a year were victims of sexual abuse.

1 in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys experience sexual abuse or assault.

34% percent of children are under age 12.

https://rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

The benefits of self defense training are obvious but two of the most important are 1) street awareness and and 2) fighter's reflex.

Street awareness is a constant awareness of your surroundings at all times.

Fighter's reflex is the ability to move quickly and strategically in a potentially dangerous situation.

http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-knowing-self-defense/

This is not about blaming the victim., It's about helping to protect all of of our children.

To the Honourable President and members of the Senate in Parliament assembled:

We are a group of Australian Residents, Mums, Dads, Grandparents, Family Members, Organisers, Promoters, Business Owners, Musicians, Artists and Young People who are opposed to the alienation and marginalisation of youth in Australia, in the form of Government 'crackdowns' on music events.

The petition of the undersigned shows:

The current attack on Electronic Dance Music events (specifically) has caused community wide witch-hunts to shut down anything and everything that youth find even remotely entertaining or interesting - thus driving them further towards unfulfilling and deeply depressing lives where drugs and/or alcohol fill the void.

Fuelling community vexation, NSW Premier Mike Baird, NSW Police Minister Troy Grant and numerous Police Commanders and Commissioners have all repeatedly impressed on the public that the 'nature of the entertainment [EDM] is intrinsically linked to illicit drug use', commonly labelling EDM events as 'a breeding ground for wild behaviour, sexual assaults, violence and underage drinking' among other derogatory and Ad Hominem attacks.

As any loving family member well knows, consistent negative dialogue can only serve to CAUSE anger, resentment and mental health issues in young adults, as does reducing quality of life and choices of entertainment.

Additionally, Australians are being prevented from privacy and undisturbed use of their own homes and many tax-payers (promoters, organisers and venues) are loosing business and/or going bankrupt due to forced closures for no other reason than hosting dance parties for youth.

Hence, we beg the Honourable President and members of the Senate to recall, throughout history it has been proved time and again that assaults on entertainment and music are ineffective in addressing drug-culture. And to please also consider those who are being adversely affected, some to devastating degrees, by the current assault.

Make our kids happy and provide advertisers with a larger audience by moving the Super Bowl to Saturday.