STREET -CONNECTED CHILDREN EXPOSED TO VIOLATIONS AS UGANDA BATTLES COVID19

Civil society organizations working with street connected children have expressed concern over the increasing brutal attacks on such children as the country battles COVID19. This follows an attack on one of the children who was sleeping on the streets in Kisenyi. Dwelling places Country Director, Mr. Damon Wamara says that as security forces implement directives on COVID19, they should do it in the most humane manner which does not reduce children’s dignity as well as violate their rights. “As we speak there is a child still in coma in Mulago Hospital. He was sleeping on the streets of Kisenyi when the enforcement officers of Police, LDU and Military chased him. He was hit and collapsed into comma”. Says Mr.Damon Wamara in a press statement released ahead of the international day of children living on the streets. This comes amid a lock-down announced by government as the country battles COVID19. He says such violations contravene the sections of the UN convention on the rights of the child which Uganda is signatory to. Government in partnership with the Street Children Working group gazetted Nakivubo blue primary school as quarantine area for children living and working on the streets for their safety. The children will be screened and taken through hygiene lessons for safety and will be fed for 14 days after which quarantined there for 14 days. He also appeals to the Uganda Human Rights Commission to investigate the continuous violations on children living and working on the streets especially at such a time when child traffickers take advantage of situations of uncertainty. Uganda has about 15,000 children living and working on the streets with Mbale having the highest number of such children followed by Kampala. The international day of children living on the streets is this year running under the theme “ Safe places for street Children”.

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