In 2018, Uganda made a moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Ministry of Gender, Labor, and Social Development, in partnership with the Kampala Capital City Authority, removed 283 children from the streets of Kampala and provided them with social services. The government initiated proceedings to harmonize legal provisions on minimum age to align with international standards. It also drafted a National Action Plan on Child Labor, which was approved in February 2019. However, children in Uganda engage in the worst forms of child labor in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Children also perform dangerous tasks in gold mining, carrying heavy luggage among others.
Child Labour denies fundamental human rights such as the right to education, right to rest and leisure and free from the country’s unfair working conditions.
Kasese District either has not been spared in as far as child labor is concerned. This was revealed during the radio talk show by GEDA Uganda on Kasese guide radio. The radio program unpacked child labor with different forms such as child trafficking, slavery, forced labour, sexual exploitation, pornographic performance and many more others.
It was also revealed that some of these acts are brought about by poverty, big family sizes, corruption, civil wars, rural urban migration and primitive traditional cultural practices.
Speaking during the same radio talk show, the police officer in charge of child and family kasese District revealed that atleast one child labor case is reported on a daily basis in Kasese and that Kasese municipality is leading in such cases followed by Hima Town council, Katwe-Kabatooro and Mpondwe-Lhubiriha TC in that order.
The District probation officer Kasese confirmed these reports during the same radio talk show saying that every year Kasese District records about 2500 cases saying they could be more than that adding the unreported cases. Several callers appreciated GEDA Uganda for the timely talk show and confirmed most of these child labor cases.
This program follows a previous one GEDA Uganda had conducted on the legal aspect of Violence Against Children (VAC) and Gender Based Violence (GBV) that was attended by Mr.Bwalhuma Isaac from the Uganda Christian lawyers Fraternity and the Officer in charge of child and family Kasese.
It is our responsibility to end violence against children, GEDA Uganda still calls upon all development actors in the fight against these vices. Together we can make it. Our toll free line is still open 0800100029 for any child and GBV related cases in your community.
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