Human Trafficking in [Uganda Street Children in [Uganda] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Uganda] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery In the
early years of the 21st Century - 2000 to 2010 gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Uganda.htm
Uganda is a source and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced
labor and sexual exploitation. Ugandan children are trafficked within the country
for forced labor in the fishing, agricultural, and domestic service sectors,
as well as for commercial sexual exploitation; they are also trafficked to
other East African and European countries for the same purposes. Karamojong women and children are sold as slaves in
cattle markets or by intermediaries and are subsequently forced into domestic
servitude, sexual exploitation, cattle herding, and begging. Human trafficking of Ugandan children for
the forcible removal of body parts reportedly is widespread; so-called
witchdoctors seek various body parts of live victims for traditional medical
concoctions commonly purchased to heal illness, foster economic advancement,
or hurt enemies. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June,
2009 [full
country report] CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** James Karuhanga, Senior
Researcher, [accessed 2 January 2011] The harsh weather and climatic
limitations make livestock maintenance difficult both to the Karamojong and the neighboring tribes. They have to walk
long distances, disregarding national boundaries, with their animals in
search of pasture for grazing and water. This search for water and pasture
has resulted in tribal fights and a culture of cattle rustling coupled with
the Karimojong’s natural belief that all livestock
around them belongs to them, which heightens the inter-tribal clashes. This is enforced by the fact that
cattle are used as a “bride price” and the raids are a symbol of strength and
manhood in the tradition of the community. In addition, there are continual
reports of Karimojong children sold at weekly
cattle markets in Kotido, Moroto
and Nakapiripirit districts. The alarming report reveals that
child abuse is on the increase in the sub-region as desperate Karimojong parents sell their children, especially girls,
to raise money to maintain the remaining members of their families. Police issues measures to fight child sacrifice Josephine Maseruka, The New
Vision, 6 January 2009 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/667107 [accessed 2 January 2011] A counter-trafficking unit has
been created to curb child sacrifice and human trafficking, he said. Kayihura’s briefing came amid reports of
increasing cases of ritual murders, with children as the main victims. Kayihura noted that of the 18 suspected
ritual murder cases reported to the Police last year, 15 had been
conclusively investigated and the suspects committed to the High Court. He observed that most ritual murders were
committed by either parents or relatives of the victims, adding that in the
15 cases, the suspects confessed. The state minister for internal
affairs, Matia Kasaija,
regretted that there was a 600% increase in ritual murder, from the three
reported in 2007, up to 18 cases last year.
Kasaija noted that the problem was
compounded by the increase in other crimes affecting children like
kidnapping, abduction and child stealing. ***
ARCHIVES *** The Department of Labor’s 2004 Findings on the Worst Forms
of Child Labor www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2004/uganda.htm [accessed 2 January 2011] INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Human Rights Reports » 2005
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor, March 8, 2006 www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61598.htm [accessed 2 January 2011] CHILDREN - According to UNICEF estimates,
the LRA has abducted approximately 12 thousand children since 2002, and
continued to abduct children during the year. The LRA forced children into
virtual slavery as laborers, soldiers, guards, and sex slaves. In addition to
being beaten, raped, and forced to march until exhausted, abducted children
were forced to participate in the killing of other children who attempted to
escape. More than 85 percent of LRA captives were made up of children whom
the LRA abducted and forced to fight as rebels; most LRA rebels were between
the ages of 11 and 16. TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – In
addition to trafficking related to LRA abductions, adults and children were
trafficked internally for labor, commercial sexual exploitation, and criminal
activities. Trafficking in persons primarily occurred internally: the LRA
abducted children to be soldiers, sex slaves, and porters. Freelance
operators, including taxi drivers and hotel/bar operators, conducted the
commercial sex trafficking. Victims of internal trafficking
were subjected to hazardous working conditions, and commercial sex victims
were subjected to physical abuse and the risk of contracting sexually
transmitted diseases. Victims of commercial sex trafficking in urban centers
often came from small rural villages. Diverse Human Trafficking Trends in East African Region
Highlights Urgent Need for Greater Protection International Organization for Migration IOM, 12-10-2010 www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/media/press-briefing-notes/pbnAF/cache/offonce/lang/en?entryId=28484 [accessed 20 December 2010] In Adult victims were identified in
the domestic sector, as well as the mining, agricultural and hospitality
industries. The IOM assessment established that
Ugandan children are trafficked to all the countries in the region with Police issues measures to fight child sacrifice Josephine Maseruka, The New
Vision, 6 January 2009 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/667107 [accessed 2 January 2011] A counter-trafficking unit has
been created to curb child sacrifice and human trafficking, he said. Kayihura’s briefing came amid reports of
increasing cases of ritual murders, with children as the main victims. Kayihura noted that of the 18 suspected
ritual murder cases reported to the Police last year, 15 had been conclusively
investigated and the suspects committed to the High Court. He observed that most ritual murders were
committed by either parents or relatives of the victims, adding that in the
15 cases, the suspects confessed. The state minister for internal
affairs, Matia Kasaija,
regretted that there was a 600% increase in ritual murder, from the three
reported in 2007, up to 18 cases last year.
Kasaija noted that the problem was
compounded by the increase in other crimes affecting children like
kidnapping, abduction and child stealing. Police must probe human trafficking The New Vision, 11 April 2008 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/14/621809 [accessed 2 January 2011] The Uganda Human Rights Commission
and the Ministry of Labour are handling cases involving allegations that some
people smuggle Indians from Joyce Namutebi, The New Vision, www.afrika.no/Detailed/15014.html [accessed 2 January 2011] In its 145-page report, the commission
was concerned that child sacrifice, child trafficking, child labour,
abduction, child soldiering, defilement, child prostitution and abuse were
persisting in Katarzyna Heath, The New Vision, This article has been archived by World Street Children News
and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 12 September 2011] Most of them flee their homes due
to abuse and neglect, their heads filled with warped views of urban
existence. In reality, these dreams are not fulfilled and the end result is
there are children working and sleeping on the streets, fending for
themselves in unsafe conditions. The children are exposed to many
dangers. Many become part of child trafficking. They are persuaded under
false pretences by elders or family 'acquaintances' that they are moving to
new places with better opportunities.
Instead, they are trapped in a world of exploitation, which exposes them
to anything from child prostitution to human sacrifices. James Karuhanga, Senior
Researcher, [accessed 2 January 2011] The harsh weather and climatic
limitations make livestock maintenance difficult both to the Karamojong and the neighboring tribes. They have to walk
long distances, disregarding national boundaries, with their animals in
search of pasture for grazing and water. This search for water and pasture
has resulted in tribal fights and a culture of cattle rustling coupled with
the Karimojong’s natural belief that all livestock
around them belongs to them, which heightens the inter-tribal clashes. This is enforced by the fact that
cattle are used as a “bride price” and the raids are a symbol of strength and
manhood in the tradition of the community. In addition, there are continual
reports of Karimojong children sold at weekly
cattle markets in Kotido, Moroto
and Nakapiripirit districts. The alarming report reveals that
child abuse is on the increase in the sub-region as desperate Karimojong parents sell their children, especially girls,
to raise money to maintain the remaining members of their families. Migration body to monitor human trafficking impact [access information unavailable] "Many girls are taken from
Iringa and brought to major cities to work as housegirls
but they end up being subjected to prostitution and other works which they
did not expect, this is internal trafficking," she said. Many young boys, she said, are
taken to work in the mining companies, something which not only denies their
rights but also are psychosocially affected. A Hero in Hell. Former Drug Dealer Frees Abducted Child
Soldiers in Maria Sliwa, Assist News Service
ANS, Nimule, ithinkimafundamentalist.blogspot.com/2005/10/this-guy-is-just-asking-to-have-movie.html [accessed 2 January 2011] In March of this year, a band of
these small predators attacked a group of women who were collecting firewood
near the border of The children of the LRA perform
these acts at the bidding of their adult counterparts and make up about 80
percent of the rebel group, according to the United Nations. The LRA has
kidnapped more than 20,000 children since 1988 and today its captives
constitute the largest army of child soldiers in Freedom House Country Report - Political Rights: 5 Civil Liberties: 4 Status: Partly Free 2009 Edition www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=363&year=2009&country=7725 [accessed 2 January 2011] Human Rights Overview Human Rights Watch [accessed 2 January 2011] Library of Congress Call Number DT433.222 .U35 1992 lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ugtoc.html [accessed 2 January 2011] Save the Children www.boernpaaflugt.dk/Library/Annual_Reports/2003/The_Children_of_the_World/Uganda.aspx [accessed 2 January 2011] Has the
world forgotten about us? That is the question raised by children in northern
least 20,000
children have been kidnapped and forced into being child soldiers in one of
the most brutal rebel armies in the world. Jennifer Achoro
was twelve years old and on her way to school when she was kidnapped. "I
had just put on my school uniform and was about to eat breakfast, when some
men from the rebel army came and asked my mother whether we had a radio. When
she said ‘No,' they forced their way into our hut and forced me along with
them." Ex-child soldier's path to hope Laura Smith-Spark, BBC News Online, 25 May 2004 news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3733349.stm [accessed 2 January 2011] Ms Keitetsi
says she was enlisted into Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army in Child, slave, soldier Testimony provided by the Coalition to Stop the Use of
Child Soldiers, New Internationalist 337, August 2001 www.newint.org/features/2001/08/05/soldier/ [accessed 2 January 2011] HERE IS THE TESTIMONY OF ONE
UGANDAN CHILD SOLDIER
- I heard later that two boys from my home were captured and beaten because I
had escaped. One of the boys was stabbed in the hand and asked to bring the
rebels to my parents’ home. They beat my mother and brother with clubs and
axes until they died. They threatened that they’ll kill more people if I
don’t come back. This was told me by a boy who lived near my home. He told me
it was my fault my mother and brother had been killed.’ ICC: Investigate All Sides in Human Rights Watch, February 4, 2004 www.hrw.org/en/news/2004/02/04/icc-investigate-all-sides-uganda [accessed 2 January 2011] The ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, announced in According to Human Rights Watch
research, the LRA has committed widespread abuses against civilians in
Uganda, including child abductions, summary executions, torture, rape and
sexual assault, forced labor, and mutilation. Recently, LRA abductions have
reached record levels, with an estimated 10,000 children abducted since
mid-2002 and forced to fight, kill civilians, and abduct other children.
Children who fail to comply with orders are murdered, often by other children
who are forced to kill them. HRW Report - Child Soldier Use 2003 Human Rights Watch, Briefing for the 4th UN Security
Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict, 2004 www.hrw.org/reports/2004/childsoldiers0104/18.htm [accessed 2 January 2011] DEMOBILIZATION AND CHILD PROTECTION
PROGRAMS - Children
“rescued” from the LRA by the UPDF were kept in military confinement,
sometimes for protracted periods, to gather intelligence before being
transferred to the Child Protection Unit, and then to rehabilitation programs
operated by NGOs including World Vision and the Gulu
Save Our Children Organization (GUSCO).285 The 120 recruits identified
at the Lugore training camp were demobilized and
were taking part in counselling and reintegration programs. In response to
the influx of “night commuters”, child protection agencies and church groups
established programs to feed and shelter these children. Ugandan child soldier activist wins Anti-Slavery Award Anti-Slavery International, 1 December 2000 At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 12 September 2011] George Omona,
Project Co-ordinator of the Gulu
Support the Children Organisation (GUSCO), will receive the 2000 Anti-Slavery
Award from the Child Labour Persists Around The World: More Than 13
Percent Of Children 10-14 Are Employed International Labour Organisation (ILO) News, www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/press-and-media-centre/news/WCMS_008058/lang--en/index.htm [accessed 9 September 2011] "Today's child worker will be
tomorrow's uneducated and untrained adult, forever trapped in grinding
poverty. No effort should be spared to break that vicious circle", says
ILO Director-General Michel Hansenne. Among the countries with a high
percentage of their children from 10-14 years in the work force are: Mali,
54.5 percent; Burkina Faso, 51; Niger and Uganda, both 45;
Kenya, 41.3; Senegal, 31.4; Bangladesh, 30.1; Nigeria, 25.8; Haiti, 25;
Turkey, 24; Côte d'Ivoire, 20.5; Pakistan, 17.7; Brazil, 16.1; India, 14.4;
China, 11.6; and Egypt, 11.2. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin, "Human Trafficking
& Modern-day Slavery - |
Human Trafficking in [Uganda Street Children in [Uganda] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Uganda] [other countries]