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In recent years, the world has witnessed the devastating effects of climate change, leaving no corner untouched. However, amidst the rising temperatures and extreme weather events, it’s often the most vulnerable who bear the worst of these changes our children.

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 development.

Child forced marriages [ CFM] 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 higher than the national average of 27 percent. According to the UDHS, child marriage was more common in rural areas, were poverty and low levels of education persistent. This harmful practice disproportionately affects girls preventing them from living their lives free from all forms of violence. We take a look at Kiruhura district in Western Uganda where we interacted with early marriage survivors, local leaders and organizations advocating for the rights of children. The interaction with the leaders and different stakeholders gave an opportunity to the child rights advocates to clearly understand the drivers behind the rampant cases of child marriages and how they can be minimized.

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 health, as well as their ability to learn and thrive. In order to address and ultimately eradicate this issue, it is imperative to engage communities in the effort to end all forms of violence against children in Uganda.