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 disabilities in relation to access education.
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 their relatives, neighbors, teachers and their peers and in some communities; pregnancy was seen as a way out of poverty
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. It further adds that one in three girls (34.1 percent) and boys (31.8 percent) do not seek services because they think that violence is their fault, nearly a quarter of girls (24.0 percent) and boys (23.7 percent) do not think violence is the problem and 18.9 percent of girls and 16.0 percent of boys are afraid of getting into trouble.
Our submission provides information in relation to the regional perspective on Child, early and forced marriage in the African continent, with a specific focus on the countries of Kenya, Mali, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda. Due to space constraints, we have only provided information in response to certain specific questions in the call for submissions.
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 aggressive issues faced by underprivileged households in Kampala slums.
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, mining and ground water depletion.
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.
