Articles

Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in rural Uganda remains a pressing issue, affecting theeducation and well-being of countless young girls. The lack of access to sanitary products, proper facilities, and comprehensive education perpetuates stigma and hinders girls academicpotential.In Uganda, its e…

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, the theme “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress” rings louder than ever before. This year’s theme highlights the urgent need to prioritize investments in women and girls to drive meaningful progress towards gender equality and sustainable developmen…

Child forced marriages remain a significant challenge in Uganda, with many girls being forced into marriage before the age of 18.Statistics from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) of 2016 indicates that the prevalence of child marriage in Kiruhura district is 34 percent, which was high…

Child marriage is a pervasive issue in many parts of the world, with a multitude of contributing factors, one of which is toxic masculinity. To combat this harmful practice, it is essential to promote positive masculinity among men, encouraging them to be respectful, responsible, and empathetic.…

Violence against children is a pervasive and devastating problem in Uganda. It takes many forms, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as neglect and exploitation. These forms of violence have long-lasting and detrimental effects on children, impacting their physical and mental he…

Child marriage is a global issue that affects millions of young girls every year. In Uganda, child marriage is a prevalent problem, with 34% of girls getting married before the age of 18. This practice not only robs these young girls of their childhood but also limits their opportunities for educati…

Child marriage is a harmful practice that violates the rights of children, particularly girls. It robs them of their childhood, education, and opportunities, and exposes them to increased risks of violence, abuse, and exploitation. While child marriage is an issue that predominantly affects girls, t…

The 7th Regional PSS Forum, under the theme “Mental Health in Context” took place at the Birchwood Conference Centre in Johannesburg from the 4th to 5th of October 2023. It was organized jointly with REPSSI, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, UNICEF ESARO, University of Pretoria and Africa Populati…

Child sexual abuse refers to the involvement of a child (person less than 18 years old) in sexual activity. Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a violation of the fundamental rights of a child and is deeply rooted in harmful gender norms. It is exacerbated by poverty, insecurity, displacement, drug abuse, c…

Violence is defined under article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Children to mean all forms of physical or mental violence, injury and abuse, neglect or neglect treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse. Violence against children physical, psyclogical and mental violence…

Families therefore serve an important mechanism for organizing social relationships by conferring certain rights and privileges and imposing duties. It organizes caregiving plus economic and other welfare to its members. It also provides refuge and a source of protection from conflict. Whereas famil…

Education is widely considered to be one of the most important factors in delaying the age of marriage for girls. In developing countries evidence shows that the more education a girl receive, the less likely she is to be marriage before the age of 18 and more likely she is to delay pregnancy and c…

Activists have been primarily focusing on the devastating impact of child marriage on girls and girl’s education but in this case boys are also being affected. According to Girls not Brides , 34% of girls in Uganda are married before their 18th birthday and a 7% are married before the age of 15. 6%…

Around 1 in 3 girls and women experience physical and sexual violence in their lifetime. Child marriage is a manifestation of this violence, putting girls and women at a high risk of sexual, physical and psychological violence and related outcomes like poor health, depression throughout their lives.…

The media is a powerful tool that plays a critical role in driving state accountability; exposing impunity and advocating for change.…

Civil Society serves as a pillar of democratic systems, playing an important role in democracy and good governance for pre-and post-conflict societies. CSOs play a critical role in developing, monitoring human rights situations, implementing strategies that promote peace and security, monitoring imp…

The prevalence, complexity and the social acceptance of Gender Based Violence (GBV) have generated the recognition that the prevention and response to GBV requires broad community participation and particularly the participation of men and boys.…

Ending Child Marriage could save Uganda billions of dollars; it could lead to welfare benefits for the country for about $2.4 billion by 2030. By contrast, ending the practice will have a multiplier effect for Uganda since it has the highest rates of child marriage in sub- Saharan Africa.…

In 2013, Ministers of Health and Education of the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) endorsed the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Inter-Ministerial Commitment, which ended in 2020. The Commitment largely aimed at preventing child marriage, Sexual and Gen…

Access to quality education gives girls choices and opportunities in life, allowing them to play an active role in their communities and break the cycle of poverty. Girls who are married are unlikely to be in school. Education, including comprehensive sexuality education, is essential for girls to b…

Women girls are disadvantaged when it comes to digital adoption, have lower levels of access to and use of digital technology than boys and men, and often are not benefitting from digital technology in the same way as boys, there is also a large gender gap in the number of women and men employed in…

Every child deserves to grow up free from harm. Yet Gender-Based Violence continues, effectively ending their childhoods and risking their futures. Gender-based violence occurs in every part of the country and across all economic and social groups. Sadly, one in three women and girls will experienc…

The devastating and compounded impacts of COVID-19, Climate change, Conflict, have created a triple threat for women and children, pushing them further to the margins of society and exposing them to physical and psychological harm.…

While a home and family can be the primary setting where violence against children occurs, they can also be the most important sources of protection from violence, and of care and support when violence has occurred.…

Every child is at risk of Child Sexual Abuse but children with special needs are more vulnerable. Girls with special needs, in particular, are often at greater risk, both within and outside the home, of violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation.…

Access to quality education has long been recognized as both a fundamental human right and as essential for reducing poverty, inequality and achieving other development goals…

Parliamentarians are uniquely positioned to shape, advance and exercise a leadership role in establishing and implementing a robust legal and policy framework for preventing child sexual abuse and ensuring it is effectively enforced by relevant actors and institutions within their constituencies and…

Education plays a critical role in breaking the cycle of poverty and violence. When girls are kept in school, they stand a better chance of growing into empowered women who transform their neighborhoods and nations. Education is one of the best ways to prevent child marriages and teenage pregnancy.…

Education plays a critical role in breaking the cycle of poverty and violence. When girls are kept in school, they stand a better chance of growing into empowered women who transform their neighborhoods and nations. Education is one of the best ways to prevent child marriages and teenage pregnancy…

Poverty is the primary reason children are sent to work. Sadly, child labor keeps children from getting the education they need to break the cycle of poverty. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), a U.N. agency, about 70% of child laborers globally work in agriculture. Others work…

According to World Vision International (WVI), in Uganda, insufficient Menstrual Hygiene Management in schools contributes to a drop out of up to 10 percent of girls at the primary level. The SNV/IRC study report (2012) on Menstrual Management in Uganda also shared the relationship between menstruat…

A right to education is a universal right that is applicable to all children everywhere including children with special needs. It is challenging for them to access education in Uganda. First and foremost, the negative attitude of communities is one of the barriers that affect children with disabilit…

According to UNICEF nearly 1 of 10 children in the world are subjected to child labor with some forced into hazardous work through trafficking, the child employment rate in rural areas is 34% while in urban areas it is 11% In Kampala, Uganda’s capital city.…

According to findings from the Uganda Violence against Children Survey conducted by Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development in 2018, children between 13-17 years, 93.7 % of girls and 89.3 percent of boys who experience physical violence do not seek services due to individual barriers.…

Uganda recorded a total of 290,219 teenage pregnancies from January to September 2021, translating to over 32,000 monthly (UNFPA UGANDA 2021) and this been highly attributed to the covid-19 induced lockdown where learners were out of school for close to 2 years. Many girls were sexually abused by th…

According to Section 2 of the Children’s (Amended) Act of Uganda, child marriage is referred to as any union whether formal or informal involving any person below the age of 18years for the purpose of living as husband and wife.…

The COVID-19 pandemic has persisted for almost a year and half and it’s negative impact has continued to affect vulnerable communities alike. As urban slum communities struggle with a shredded economy, loss of jobs and domestic violence among other challenges, lack of food remains one of the aggress…

Over time, Uganda has experienced climate emergency and unfavorable environmental conditions in the Ruwenzori region with Kasese district being most hit by floods. Flash floods are caused by a combination of natural and man-made factors such as earth quakes, volcanic eruptions, deforestation, minin…

A visit to one of the internally displaced camps in Kasese district, one is welcomed by smiling faces from innocent Children and teenagers mostly below 18 years of age. Hundreds of households were displaced by Floods after River Nyamwamba burst its banks in May 2020.…

We must ensure that girls are part of the digital transformation. Otherwise, they will continue to be left behind as a result of the digital divide which is the social inequality on the internet. At the moment, millions of illiterate girls who never enrolled in schools or dropped out of schools…

With funding from UNDP under the Spotlight initiative JFCU implemented a 09 months project that started in June 2020 to March 2020. JFCU worked to address violence against women and girls stemming from their mining related activities by using a social economic empowerment lens.…

On October 13th 2021, Members of the 10th Parliament of Uganda on the Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children paid a courtesy visit to Joy for Children-Uganda to renew the working partnership with the forum in regards to the protection of Children’ rights…

Child marriage is a human rights violation; girls are at a higher risk compared to the boys. Girls who are married off at an early age are likely to drop out of school, become child mothers, endure complications from child birth, and often experience gender based violence.…

On the International day of the Girl child, October 11th 2021, Joy for Children-Uganda recognizes the rights of girls and the challenges they face every day.…

May 2020 will forever remain in the minds of the people of Kasese district in western Uganda The district was hit by disastrous floods that happened on the 7th of May and peaked on the morning of May 10th. Another disaster followed on May 21st in the areas of Mpondwe-Bwera where flash floods and lan…

Children with special needs are most marginalized and their concerns are often ignored. They face pervasive barriers that limit their participation in education.…

As the second wave of the corona virus infections continue to rise in Uganda with 92,490 and 2,557 Deaths (Ministry of Health), Government put in place measures to curb the rapid spread of the deadly virus. The measures had an influence on both the young and the old but Children living in the slums …

It is not only adolescent Girls, who have been negatively impacted by the covid-19 pandemic but Women as well, the lack of information about menstrual hygiene management coupled with inadequate funds to purchase sanitary products.…