By Bondry Kilenga
Police in Kotido district have taken over the responsibility of conducting medical examination for assault victims, a move aimed at streamlining the investigation process.
This comes at a time victims of rape, defilement, sexual assault, and gender-based violence have been complaining about bureaucratic challenges and alleged demands for payment at government hospitals.
Information from credible sources indicate that public health facilities charge victims Shs20,000 for medical examination.
A medical examination of assault victims is always done to assess healthcare needs, coordinate treatment, and collect evidence for potential legal proceedings.
Due to the fees charged at health facilities for medical examinations and the burden of having to repeat their experiences to multiple individuals, some victims became discouraged from reporting their cases to the police.
However, under the new police arrangement, Hassan Hussein Ssekalema, the Kotido District Police Commander, says that medical examination for rape, defilement, and sexual assault victims will be conducted by a trained medical police officer at no cost.
He said that this initiative is aimed not only at providing immediate medical examination to the victims, but also to facilitate timely collection of crucial evidence that can be vital in prosecuting offenders.
Ssekalema is confident that this can lead to higher rates of prosecution and conviction, as evidence is gathered more efficiently and victims will not be re-victimized during the medical examination process.
He said that this will also encourage more victims to come forward, knowing that their cases will be taken seriously from the outset.
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