Step-Parents - Step-Children Relationship Nurture: The Invisible Clerical Role of Religious Leaders in Uganda

Abstract

This study displays the phenomenon of step-parenting that has existed since pre-industrial Europe.
On the global scene, it is estimated that over one billion step-children are subjected to diverse
forms of abuse and a quarter of the incidences occur in Africa. In Uganda, out of the eight million
vulnerable children, 70 percent of the boys suffer from step-family instigated physical violence.
Relying on historical literary analysis methodology, this study examines how human social
engagements unfold and how crafted ideologies affect the present, the literary sources that shed
light on step-families were examined. Here, it is suspected that the clerical roles of religious
leaders lack visibility of the scenario of the nurture of step-parents – step-children relationship.
The study results unveil that step-parents burn their step-children, put poison in their food, deny
them quality education, and push sticks into their sexual organs. Some step-parents get involved
in sexual affairs with their step-children! Other step-children are beaten severely, tortured, hacked
to death, sexually defiled, and are denied basic human rights. As a result, some of the step-children
have turned out to become street scavengers, prostitutes, drug addicts, and lead culprits in
criminal activities. The resulting impact of this development in society is the same; some stepchildren connive with their divorced biological parents to humiliate, abuse, and use lethal means
to harm their step-parents. In turn the step-children abused by their step-parents become a
disorienting social phenomenon in the society in Uganda, but are unnoticed by government and
religious institutions. This paper argues and recommends that if Christian and Muslim religious
leaders took the lead to influence constitutional amendments to include the role of step-parents in
the Children’s Act, incorporate step-family structure in the religious education curriculum in the
primary schools, and enforce formation of clubs that serve the interests of step-families, these
scenarios of hostile incidences at play, which are soiling step-family relationships country wide
would be minimised.