You are here:
WorldLII >>
Databases >>
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child - States Parties Reports >>
2004 >>
[2004] UNCRCSPR 23
Database Search
| Name Search
| Recent Documents
| Noteup
| LawCite
| Download
| Help
Uganda - Second periodic report of States parties due in 1997: Addendum [2004] UNCRCSPR 23; CRC/C/65/Add.33 (5 November 2004)
UNITED NATIONS
|
|
CRC
|
|
Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
Distr. GENERAL
CRC/C/65/Add.33 5 November 2004
Original: ENGLISH
|
CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES
PARTIES
UNDER ARTICLE 44 OF THE CONVENTION
Second periodic report of States parties due in 1997
UGANDA[*]
[2 August 2003]
CONTENTS
Paragraphs Page
Foreword 3
List of acronyms 4
I. INTRODUCTION 1 - 15 6
II. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMITTEE’S
RECOMMENDATIONS 16 -
60 10
III. GENERAL MEASURES TO IMPLEMENT THE
CONVENTION 61 - 82 23
IV. DEFINITION OF A CHILD 83 - 84 31
V. GENERAL PRINCIPLES 85 - 95 32
VI. CIVIL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS 96 - 111 33
VII. FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AND ALTERNATIVE
CARE 112 - 129 36
VIII. BASIC HEALTH AND WELFARE 130 - 170 39
IX. EDUCATION, LEISURE AND CULTURAL
ACTIVITIES 171 - 196 50
X. SPECIAL PROTECTION MEASURES 197 - 217 57
List of references 63
Statistical annexes
I. Country economic indicators 65
II. Health sector 65
III. Educational statistics 67
Foreword
Uganda is committed to ensuring that all its
children enjoy their rights as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of
the Child
(CRC). This commitment is exemplified by the measures that have been
taken at the country level. The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda
guarantees children the right to education, medical treatment, care and
protection and other social economic
benefits.
In addition, after the 1990 World Summit for Children, the country’s
unwavering political commitment was translated into action.
The Uganda National
Programme of Action for Children (UNPAC) was developed and launched in 1993.
UNPAC provides a framework for
all actors to protect the rights of children in
the areas of child survival, development, protection and participation. The
Children
Statute (1996), which is a childfriendly law, operationalizes the
Constitution and reinforces UNPAC.
This report presents actions that have been taken by the Government of
Uganda on the implementation of the CRC, based on the guidelines
and
recommendations made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the
country’s initial report and its addendum. The
Government of Uganda
prepared and submitted initial reports and the addendum on the CRC in 1995
and 1997 respectively. Specifically,
the report presents policy initiatives and
childfriendly legislation that has been enacted, the programmes that have been
implemented
as well as special protection measures that target the children in
difficult circumstances.
The enabling policy environment has added impetus to the implementation of
the CRC. The efforts of civil society organizations,
development partners and
nongovernmental organizations have contributed greatly to this. The Government
of Uganda is committed to
continuing its efforts to address the issues that
affect the survival, development, protection and participation of children. In
future, in order to protect and promote the rights of the child, the main areas
of concern for Government will include improvement
in primary health care,
universal access to safe water, prevention and mitigation of HIV/AIDS, and
provision of quality education
to all children. To achieve this, Government
will continue to pursue the policy of poverty eradication and promotion of good
governance,
which form the basis for protection, promotion and fulfilment of the
rights of children.
List of acronyms
ABEK Alternative Basic Education for Karamoja
ADF Allied Democratic Force
ANPPCAN African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child
Abuse
and Neglect
AVSI Association of Voluntary Service International
BEUPA Basic Education for Urban Poor Areas
CAO Chief Administrative Officer
CCP Childcare and Protection
COPE Complementary Opportunities for Basic Education
CPU Child Protection Unit
CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child
CS The Children Statute, 1996
DDP District Development Plan
DPAC District Plan of Action for Children
DPWO District Probation and Welfare Office
ECCD Early childhood care and development
ECD Early childhood development
ECE Early childhood education
ECSN Early childhood survival and nutrition
EMIS Education Management Information System
ESIP Education Sector Investment Plan
FCC Family Children’s Courts
FIDA Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA - Uganda)
GoU Government of Uganda
HIPC Highly Indebted Poor Country debt initiative
HP Health Policy
HSRC Health Sector Review Committee
HSSP Health Sector Strategic Plan
IMCI Integrated management of childhood illnesses
IMR Infant mortality rate
JJP Juvenile Justice Programme
LCs Local councils
LRA Lord’s Resistance Army
MFPED Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
MGL&SD Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development
MMR Maternal mortality rate
MoES Ministry of Education and Science
MoH Ministry of Health
MTEF Medium-Term Expenditure Framework
NAPW National Action Plan On Women
NCC National Council for Children
NPA National Programme of Action
NPAW National Plan of Action on Women
OPV Oral polio vaccine
ORS Oral Rehydration Salts
PAF Poverty Action Fund
PEAP Poverty Eradication Action Plan
PHC Primary health care
SCA Secretary for Children Affairs
SCD Street Children’s Desk
STD Sexually Transmitted Diseases
TDMS Teacher Development and Management System
UBOS Uganda Bureau of Statistics
UCRNN Uganda Child Rights NGO Network
UDHS Uganda Demographic and Health Survey
U5MR Under-five mortality rate
UNMHCP Uganda National Minimum Health Care Package
UNPAC Uganda National Programme of Action for Children
UPDF Uganda Peoples Defence Forces
UPE Universal Primary Education
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Introduction
- Uganda
ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in November 1990. The
Government of Uganda (GoU) prepared the initial
report in 1995 and presented it
together with an addendum in 1997. A number of interventions have been
developed and implemented
in Uganda following the ratification of the
Convention. This is the second periodic report of the Government of Uganda,
covering
the period January 1997 to December 2001. This chapter provides an
update of the country profile information presented in the initial
report, a
description of the general government policy on the rights of the child, and the
format of the document.
B. Country profile
1. Public administration
- Uganda’s
public administration system is both centralized and decentralized. The system
of central government is based on the
Parliament as the national legislative
body and the different government ministries and departments as administrative
units. The
system of local government is based on the district council and
departments as the legislative and administrative units, respectively.
There
are currently 56 districts in Uganda. District and subcounty councils
constitute local government in rural areas, while city
councils and city
division councils constitute local government in major urban areas. All these
are corporate bodies with perpetual
succession, a common seal, and powers to sue
or be sued in their corporate name (Constitution of Uganda, 1995; Local
Government’s
Act, 1997).
2. Demographic characteristics
- Uganda’s
projected population by mid-1999 was 21.6 million, of whom about half were
female and 58 per cent were young people
below the age of 20. The annual
population growth rate is 2.7 per cent (1980-1991). It is projected that the
population of Uganda
will reach 25 and 28.4 million by the years 2005 and 2010
respectively. About 14 per cent of the population live in urban areas.
Figure
1 shows the proportion of selected categories of the people as percentage of the
total population (UBOS, 1999).
3. The economy
- Uganda’s
economy relies heavily on rain-fed agriculture and agriculture-related
activities constitute the largest sector of
the economy and a major source of
income for the people. This makes the economy vulnerable to weather changes and
global developments
that adversely affect the performance of the agricultural
sector and the prices of the products.
Gross domestic product (GDP)
Uganda’s economy has been stable and steadily expanding over the last
eight years. It has more than doubled between 1987 and
1997. All the other
sectors of the economy have shown marked improvements, with construction,
manufacturing, mining and quarrying
leading in growth. Figure 2 shows
Uganda’s economic growth rates from 1987/88 to 1998/99. El Nino weather
conditions affected
GDP growth between 1995/96 and 1997/98. The structure of
the economy continues to change. For example, monetary GDP accounted for
76 per
cent of total domestic output in 1998/99 compared to 74 per cent and 68 per cent
during fiscal years 1995/96 and 1990/91 respectively.
The contribution of
agriculture to total GDP has consistently decreased from 53 per cent in 1990/91
to 43 per cent in 1998/99, while
that of manufacturing has nearly doubled from
5.6 per cent in 1990/91 to 9.9 per cent in 1998/99 (Background to the budget
1999/2000,
MFPED).
- Although
the growth in GDP is making some inroads in reducing poverty, Uganda
is still one of the poorest countries in the world with
a per capita
gross domestic product of 356,233 Uganda shillings (about US$ 300)
(UBOS, 1999). Uganda’s export base is still
narrow, as can be gleaned
from a poor (negative) balance of trade of 1.02 billion dollars in 1998/99.
The overall balance of payments
position in 1998/97 stood at US$ 56 million,
representing 0.8 per cent of GDP (Background to the budget 1999/2000, MFPED).
Selected
indicators of Uganda’s economic performance are shown in annex 1
(a) and 1 (b).
External debt
- Uganda’s
stock of debt was recorded at US$ 3.56 billion by December 1998. The debt
service ratio in 1998/99 was 16 per cent
of exports of goods, an improvement
from 23.7 per cent in 1997/98. Uganda is a beneficiary of the Highly Indebted
Poor Country (HIPC)
debt initiative. In the first year, 1998/99, Uganda
received US$ 45 million in debt relief and is expected to receive about US$
86,
$82 and $84 million in financial years 2000/01, 2001/02, and 2002/03
respectively as a result of the enhanced HIPC initiative.
These savings are
channelled through the newly created Poverty Action Fund (PAF) to finance
poverty reduction in accordance with
the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP)
priorities. Some donors have continued to contribute to the Fund.
The poverty challenge
- The
impressive economic growth has not yet been translated into positive
transformation of the social sector in general and a positive
impact on the
children in particular. According to the revised PEAP, 44 per cent of Ugandans
still live below the poverty line (i.e.
live on less than US$ 1 per day).
Findings from participatory assessment of poverty surveys show that communities
feel poverty is
increasing. The main categories of people most vulnerable to
increasing poverty in Uganda include: women, widows and their families,
the
landless and near landless, male youth and households with large families.
Available data indicate that Uganda’s human
development index is one of
the lowest in the world. Life expectancy is 40 years for males and 41 years for
females. The average
literacy rate is 54 per cent with only 14.8 per cent of
the population having completed senior four. The introduction of universal
primary education (UPE) has resulted in increased enrolment of pupils. Real
gross domestic product per capita is less than US$ 300;
the life expectancy
index is estimated at 0.25; the GNP index is 0.21; and the human development
index value is 0.328 (Population
Reference Bureau, 1998). Corruption, including
poor accountability and lack of transparency at all levels, has exacerbated the
situation.
- The
levels of child, infant and maternal mortality are important outcome indicators
for the PEAP. Between 1995 and 2000 infant mortality
increased from 81 to
88 deaths per 1,000 live births. Similarly, the under-five mortality
rate increased from 147 in 1995 to 152
per 1,000 live births in 2000.
Maternal mortality rates fell only modestly, from 527 to 505 per 1,000 live
births over the same
period (UDHS 2000-2001). The proportion of all children
who are stunted is 39 per cent and 15 per cent are severely stunted.
Immunization
coverage fell significantly between 1995 and 2000 and 38.2 per cent
of children aged 12 to 23 months are fully vaccinated. Immunization
coverage against DPT3, measles and OPV has been declining since 1996 and is
currently around 50 per cent. The national HIV seroprevalence
rate is still
high (about 9.5 per cent) and the number of orphans, mainly due to the AIDS
scourge, is estimated at 1.7 million.
Malaria prevalence among children under 5
years is still high. For instance, in 1998, 58.5 per cent of children under 5
were diagnosed
with malaria.
4. Information flows
VISION 2025
POVERTY ERADICATION
ACTION PLAN
DONOR PROGRAMMES
SECTOR PLANS
DISTRICT PLANS
NGO PROGRAMMES
PRIVATE
SECTOR INITIATIVES
3 YEAR MEDIUMTERM EXPENDITURE FRAMEWORK
LOCAL GOVT. 3
YEAR MEDIUMTERM EXPENDITURE FRAMEWORK
“BUDGET SPEECH” &
”BTTB”
ANNUAL BUDGET
DISTRICT BUDGET
CIVIL
SOCIETY
RESULTS OF PARTICIPATORY MONITORING
Chart 1. Government planning/information flows (Source: Revised PEAP
Vol. 1)
The relationship between the PEAP and sector/district plans is iterative.
Each of the three plans feeds into the other. The PEAP
sets the framework
within which sector and then district plans are developed and is also a product
of these plans. Chart 1 shows
Uganda’s planning and information flow
within a sectorwide approach to planning. Sector plans contain sector
priorities while
district plans spell out strategies based on national
priorities, needs and resource constraints. The Medium-Term Expenditure
Framework
(both national and district) is a three-year rolling plan that sets
out expenditure priorities and budgets against which sector plans
can be
developed. The Government of Uganda has developed a Social Development
Strategic Investment Plan which forms a basis for
the implementation of the
rights of children.
5. CRC and the National Plan of Action for Children
- The
Government of Uganda translated the CRC into national legislation - the Children
Statute 1996. Implementation of the Statute
is currently under way.
- The
UNPAC remains the most embracing national plan to achieve the goals of the CRC.
It seeks to provide sufficient resources for
provision of basic social services
to all Ugandans; promote effective use of limited resources; and ensure equity
of service provision,
particularly
to children and women. The UNPAC is supplemented by other sectoral
plans, polices and programmes. It is, therefore, important that
UNPAC-related
interventions are integrated into Uganda’s Comprehensive Development
Framework - the PEAP.
- Programme
implementation largely takes place at district and lower levels. Under the
Local Government Act, policy implementation and service delivery is the
responsibility of local governments. The central Government is responsible for
setting national goals and setting national priorities through policy, setting
standards, and providing guidelines. Local governments
are charged with the
responsibility of planning and resource allocation so as to deliver services to
their population. The decentralization
of UNPAC resulted in the development and
implementation of District Plans of Action for Children (DPACs). The DPACs have
now been
integrated into the respective District Development Plans (DDPs). A
number of DDPs are not yet “child-friendly”. A
survey carried out
by the MGL&SD revealed that only 73 per cent of districts had integrated
childcare and protection activities
into the DDPs. Districts still lack the
capacity to fully integrate childcare and protection issues into their
respective DDPs.
The main reasons for this are: inadequate staff (in terms of
quality and quantity); inadequate funds; and lack of awareness/appreciation
of
the issues affecting children by district authorities.
C. Preparation of this report
- The
preparation of this report was undertaken as a collaborative and multisectoral
exercise involving relevant line government ministries,
local governments,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders in the
implementation of the CRC. External support
agencies also made invaluable
contributions during this process.
- The
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development constituted a core group for
the preparation of the report and coordinated the
exercise. The core group had
representation from the Ministries of Health; Local Government; Justice and
Constitutional Affairs;
Gender, Labour and Social Development; Internal Affairs
(Police and Prisons); and Finance, Planning and Economic Development. Other
members of the core group were drawn from the NCC, Save the Children Alliance,
UNICEF and the Child Health and Development Centre.
Group members provided
information on the progress of the implementation in their respective sectors.
Information from evaluation
and review meetings of implementers at national and
district levels also constituted a major source of information for
preparing
this report. A consultant consolidated the different strands of
information into a working document for refinement by the core group.
II. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMITTEE’S
RECOMMENDATIONS
A. Introduction
- The
implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Uganda has been a
collective effort by the Government, NGOs, donors,
and religious organizations.
The key responses by Government have been the creation of an enabling
environment for the implementation
of the CRC. Development partners, NGOs and
faith-based organizations have provided a significant proportion of the
resources (financial,
material, human and organizational) for the implementation
of the CRC.
- The
Committee on the Rights of the Child considered Uganda’s initial report in
1997 and made a number of observations. Below
are some of the actions taken and
challenges met in addressing the Committee’s observations. The
recommendations of the Committee
are presented in a box followed by description
of actions taken.
B. Progress on implementation of the Committee’s
recommendations
1. Coordination and capacity
Recommendations of the
Committee:
|
(a) Strengthen the National Council for Children and the coordination
between various government bodies, ministries and LCs involved
in the
implementation of children’s rights, at both national and local
levels;
|
(b) Ensure closer cooperation with NGOs working in the field of human and
children’s rights;
|
(c) Strengthen the human and financial capacity of various government
institutions promoting children’s rights;
|
(d) Prioritize resource allocations to facilitate the realization of the
economic, social and cultural rights of children, with a
focus on health and
education and increased access to them by disadvantaged children.
|
- One
of the issues being considered in the Social Development Sector Investment Plan
is to strengthen the capacity of the Social Development
Sector institutions,
which includes NCC. An evaluation of NCC as an institution and its programmes
has been carried out with a recommendation
to have NCC elevated to the level of
a commission. The recommendation, which is recent, is yet to be implemented.
Internally, NCC
is carrying out a reorganization exercise with a view to
strengthening its capacity to coordinate children’s activities in
the
country (NCC Finances).
- Coordination
of UNPAC has been limited to joint planning and review meetings. NCC holds
annual regional review workshops and a national
consensus conference on the
situation of children and women where all stakeholders (Government, donors
and NGOs) participate. NCC
also participates, on an ad hoc basis, in planning
and review meetings of government departments, external support agencies and
major
NGOs to ensure that child-related issues are addressed. Limited
coordination is being done through the Uganda Child Rights NGO Network
(UCRNN),
an umbrella organization of about 40 NGOs working in the field of child
protection and development. However, the UCRNN,
which could have provided a
good structure and mechanism for NGO coordination, does not also have capacity
to effectively perform
the requisite coordination functions in order to
strengthen NGO coordination. The challenge is to build the capacity of NCC to
be
able to coordinate the efforts of NGOs and other actors in the
children’s activities.
- Since
1997, government expenditure has been guided by the PEAP. The main activities
of this plan include primary health care (the
minimum health-care package);
universal primary education; rural water supply; rural feeder roads;
implementation of the Land Act;
adult literacy; implementation of the Plan for
the Modernization of Agriculture; restocking of cattle to the northern and
eastern
parts of the country; wetlands; and monitoring of these activities.
Government plans to increase the share of spending going to
these programmes in
the medium term. Other activities will be considered on an annual basis through
the Medium-Term Expenditure
Framework (MTEF). The MTEF has been developed to
identify measures of input, output, outcome and budget for sectors and
districts.
Sectors and districts prepare budget framework papers for
incorporation into the MTEF. Government plans to use this approach to
guide
allocation of all public resources including equalization elements of both
recurrent and development expenditure. Details
of expenditures on child-related
activities and access by disadvantaged children are presented in sections III
and IX.
- Government
ministries were being restructured to focus on policy formulation, coordination,
setting national standards and regulations,
inspection and monitoring, and
the provision of technical advice and support to local governments.
Consequently, a total of 18 government
ministries have been
restructured and the Ministry of Public Service is undertaking a medium-term
programme to retool and re-equip
government departments.
2. Awareness and understanding
Recommendations of the Committee:
|
(a) Ensure that the provisions of the Convention are widely known by both
adults and children especially in rural areas. Also, train
and retrain law
enforcement staff, the judiciary, lawyers, magistrates, teachers, social
workers, childcare institution staff, health
and medical personnel, etc.;
|
(b) The Convention should be translated into vernacular languages.
|
- Both
government institutions and NGOs, with the support of donors, have been involved
in awareness creation through development and
distribution of child rights
advocacy materials. These materials were produced in various forms and formats
such as calendars, posters,
brochures, t-shirts, caps, audio-visual materials
and newsletters. Dissemination of the Children Statute is also done through
debates,
essay competitions, music, dance and drama, child rights clubs in
schools and child rights advocates in the communities. The Day
of the African
Child, which is commemorated annually, is used as a special day to advocate for
children’s rights in general.
- As
far as training of law enforcement officers is concerned, Government, with
support from Save the Children (SC) Denmark, the United
Kingdom and UNICEF,
facilitated the training of the Uganda Police on the CRC and the Children
Statute and on how to handle cases
of child abuse and domestic violence. SC
Denmark is training the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) on the protection
of children’s
rights, particularly in conflict situations.
- Training
of trainers and district-level training of officials concerned with the
implementation of the CRC and the Children Statute
has been done. A manual for
the training of national trainers of child rights advocates has been
developed and the training of 340
child rights advocates completed. Various
categories of professionals working with children have been trained. Training
undertaken
so far has been at two levels: training on CS in 45 districts before
the creation of 11 additional districts and training of paralegals
in 10
districts on CRC. The categories of professionals trained includes: district
administrators, local government councillors,
media reporters, community
development officers and assistants, district probation and welfare officers,
the police, magistrates,
teachers, prison staff, and child rights educators
and advocates. GoU, through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social
Development
Local Authorities, NGOs and private consultancy firms, has been
involved in providing this training.
- Whereas
the CRC itself has not been translated into local languages, the CS, which is
a domestication of the CRC, has been translated
into 10 major local
languages, namely Luo, Ateso, Luganda, Lugbara, Lunyankole, Kuksabin,
Lumasaba, Lusoga, Lubwisi and Ngakarimojong.
Copies of the translated Statute
were distributed to all districts and major NGOs. The MGL&SD has also
produced and distributed
a simplified English version of the CS. These 10
languages cover more than 90 per cent of the population.
- The
main challenge is to ensure wide dissemination of the CRC and the Statute.
Dissemination of the CRC and the CS at district and
lower level is primarily the
role of the District Probation and Welfare Office (DPWO). A national situation
analysis of childcare
and protection issues in relation to district authorities
conducted by the MGL&SD at the end of 1998 identified eight obstacles
that
hinder the implementation of the Statute. The main obstacle is inadequate
funding of the DPWO by both central and local governments.
DPWOs are allocated
on average about US$ 400 per month for all operations, but some receive as
little as US$ 30 per month for all
operations. Other reasons for the delay
in the dissemination of the Statute are: understaffing in districts; lack of
awareness
about the Statute by local councils, including secretaries for
children affairs; inadequate transport and communications facilities
in the
local government structure mandated to implement children’s rights;
negative attitude of the community; political interference;
and poverty in
households. It should also be noted that in the initial stage of the
sensitization process of the CRC more emphasis
was given to the CS than to
the internalization of the CRC and more stress was put on children’s
rights than on their responsibilities;
there are also negative cultural
attitudes that look at CRC as a Western influence imported into the African
culture. Although the
implementation of the Statute is under way, the major
challenge is lack of funds.
- Based
on these observations, the following interventions are being undertaken:
strengthening the capacity of the DPWO through recruitment
to fill vacant
positions and provision of logistical support; enhancing advocacy for childcare
and protection activities through
the development of quality work plans at
district and subcounty levels and ensuring that the plans are integrated
into the DDPs;
and intensifying advocacy for increased resource allocation to
CCP activities.
3. Legislation and the judiciary
Recommendations of the Committee:
|
(a) All appropriate measures, including public information campaigns,
should be undertaken to prevent and combat all forms of discrimination
against
girls, orphans, children with disabilities, abandoned children, children born
out of wedlock and child victims of abuse and/or
sexual and economic
exploitation, especially those living in rural areas, with a view,
inter alia, to facilitating their basic services;
|
(b) National legislation should be harmonized and made fully compatible
with the Convention;
|
(c) The prescribed ages in the various national laws should be harmonized
to eliminate inconsistencies and contradictions;
|
(d) Comprehensive reform of the system of juvenile justice should be
undertaken in the spirit of the Convention, in particular articles
37, 39 and
40, and of other United Nations rules. Particular attention should be paid to
the right of children to prompt access
to legal assistance and to judicial
review. Training programmes on the relevant international standards should be
organized for
all professionals involved with the juvenile justice system and
specialized courts should be established countrywide as a priority
matter;
|
(e) Technical assistance for this purpose should be sought from the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and
the [then] Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice Division of the United Nations.
|
- Discrimination
on the basis of sex is prohibited by the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda.
The Children’s Statute 1996 and the National Gender Policy reinforce this.
As regards education,
with the introduction of UPE the equalization of the
number of girls and boys at primary entry level is close to being attained.
However, discrimination against girls still exists, particularly at the
household level and in communities as a result of negative
cultural practices,
education and the share of the workload in homes. The challenge is now shifting
to retention (particularly after
primary four) and improving the performance of
girls in schools. Government, with support from UNICEF and other development
partners,
developed and launched the National Strategy for Girls’
Education in Uganda. The strategy aims at eliminating barriers to
girls’
education in particular and discrimination against them in general. These
barriers arise out of socio-cultural factors,
school-related factors and
political/economic as well as administrative factors. Through UPE orphans have
access to free primary
education.
- Other
ongoing interventions that aim at equity for girls, out-of-school children,
children affected by armed conflict and children
with disability include
implementation of COPE and ABEK programmes and temporary schools for internally
displaced children (see below).
Apart from ABEK and COPE, Basic Education for
Urban Poor Areas (BEUPA) is being implemented
in Kampala and targets slum-dwellers and other disadvantaged children in the
urban areas. The curriculum focuses on practical employable
skills as well
as basic literacy. The programme is being piloted in four parishes with
support from the German Technical Cooperation
Agency (GTZ).
- The
juvenile justice reforms enshrined in the Children Statute are compatible with
the CRC. These include: designation of the family
and children’s
courts by His Lordship the Chief Justice of Uganda (the courts are distributed
throughout Uganda); completion
and printing of FCC rules; training of all
stakeholders (probation and welfare officers, magistrates, the police, army,
local council
officials, child rights advocates); and development of training
manuals. In addition, local council guidelines were developed and
tackle in
particular issues to do with children’s rights and responsibilities,
the type of cases local councils are mandated
to handle.
- As
part of the implementation of the Children Statute, Government, through the
MGL&SD and with support from Save the Children
(UK), is implementing a
four-year Juvenile Justice Programme (JJP). The JJP is currently being piloted
in three districts. The
Programme aims at reforms such as strengthening the
non-institutional methods of rehabilitating young offenders, strengthening
coordination
and information-sharing among court users.
- The
Government of Uganda, with assistance from the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), conducted
a national juvenile
justice training and strategy workshop in October 2000 and came up with
recommendations. Arising out of the
recommendations of this workshop, the
following has been done:
- Less serious
criminal cases are being diverted from the formal system with the help of the
local councils;
- Creation of
awareness among stakeholders is continuous;
- A national
juvenile justice committee is being put in place with the support of
Save the Children (UK). In addition, some of the
recommendations have been
incorporated into the Justice, Law and Order sectoral strategic plan (2002-2007)
and will be acted upon.
4. Education
Recommendation of the Committee:
|
To ensure the implementation of articles 28 and 29 of the Convention,
greater efforts should be directed to training teachers, improving
learning and
teaching facilities and the school environment, increasing enrolment and
fighting school dropout.
|
- The
Uganda Government does not have a comprehensive policy on early childhood
development (ECD). However, several ministries and
agencies have developed
policies that cater for some ECD issues. NCC facilitated the formation of the
ECD Technical Forum, which
serves as a clearing house for ECD programmes in a
sectorwide approach.
- The
ECD Task Force spearheaded activities of the ECD Technical Forum. Its
composition was drawn from the government line ministries
and NGOs dealing with
children affairs including the Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of
Local Government, UNICEF, MoH,
Friends of Children, the NCC Secretariat and
MGL&SD. The Task Force collected secondary information that was available
on ECD
and compiled a report, “Eight is too late”, which has become
reference material for ECD issues in Uganda. The report
identified ECD areas
that need special attention, including the psychosocial/emotional environment,
health, nutrition, care, stimulation
and learning, play, pre-schools and
discipline, ECD stakeholders and possible donors for ECD activities. This led
to the formation
of the Technical Forum to continue with the work on ECD policy
and strategy formulation.
- The
ECD Task Force met in a five-day workshop in December 1999 to review existing
policies and provisions on ECD. A comprehensive
report was produced and
circulated to stakeholders. The report serves as a basic reference document in
policy formulation by sectoral
departments and in programme development by
NGOs.
- Initiatives
undertaken to increase the enrolment and retention of girls have been developed
and are being implemented. Some of the
initiatives are: the National Strategy
on Girls’ Education has been developed and approved; initiatives to make
primary schools
“girl friendly” are being implemented, such as
provision of separate toilet facilities for boys and girls; the UPE programme,
which gives priority to orphans, girls and children with disabilities, is being
implemented; the programme to ensure access to education
by children with
special needs is being strengthened under the Education Strategy Investment
Plan. Corporal punishment in schools
has been abolished by the Ministry of
Education and Sports although the enforcement is still difficult. Selected
educational statistics
are shown in table 1.
Table 1. Trends in selected primary educational ratios
|
No. of primary schools
|
No. of classrooms
|
No. of pupils
|
No. of teachers
|
Pupils/ class ratio
|
Pupils/ teacher ratio
|
Gross enrolment ratio
|
M
|
F
|
1996
|
8 531
|
69 344
|
3 068 625
|
81 564
|
44
|
38
|
86
|
74
|
1997
|
8 813
|
74 519
|
5 170 886
|
89 247
|
69
|
58
|
137
|
112
|
1998
|
9 848
|
69 893
|
5 463 853
|
98 509
|
78
|
55
|
129
|
114
|
1999
|
10 779
|
80 205
|
6 591 429
|
107 278
|
82
|
61
|
127
|
107
|
- In
order to make the curriculum more relevant, Government, with the support of
development partners, has developed a new primary school
curriculum (volume 1).
A phased implementation of the curriculum has begun, starting with primary one
to four. Volume 2 of the
curriculum to cover seven subjects - Agriculture,
Business and Entrepreneurship, Kiswahili, Mother Tongue, Music and Dance,
Primary
Technology and Art, and Religious Education - is being
developed.
5. Birth registration
Recommendation of the
Committee:
|
Special efforts should be directed to the development of an effective
system of birth registration. Such a system would serve as
a tool for
children’s enjoyment of their rights.
|
- The
measures to protect children’s rights to a name, nationality and identity
have been adequately provided for within the law.
The practice of registration
at birth, which would contribute to enforcement of the law, is, however, still
not closely followed.
The majority of people are not aware of the importance of
birth registration. Birth registration is a priority area in the GoU-UNICEF
country programme.
6. Human rights, refugees and internally displaced
children
Recommendations of the
Committee:
|
(a) Awareness of the duty to fully respect the rules of international
humanitarian law, in the spirit of article 38 of the Convention,
inter alia with
regard to children, should be made known to the parties to the armed conflict in
the northern part of Uganda. Violations
of the rules of international
humanitarian law entail responsibility being attributed to the
perpetrators;
|
(b) Measures should be taken to stop the killing and abduction of children
and the use of children as child soldiers in the area of
armed conflict,
liaising with the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children
and Armed Conflict;
|
(c) Special attention should be directed to refugees and internally
displaced children to ensure that they have equal access to basic
facilities.
|
- Efforts
by Government, civil society, development partners and NGOs to improve the human
rights situation in the country have resulted
in: the establishment of a
commission of inquiry into human rights violations in the country; a
participatory constitutionmaking
process; independent media with few constraints
on freedom of the press; the Children Statute 1996; democratic decentralization;
improved military-civilian relations; an active role being played by Parliament;
citizens’ increasing interest in human rights
issues; a supportive donor
community and the establishment of the Uganda Human Rights Commission. The main
challenge is to effectively
implement the legislations passed in recent years
that aims at strengthening people’s rights. Government has proclaimed an
amnesty for rebels and continues to encourage people to accept the offer.
- The
Uganda Human Rights Commission, a body established by Government to investigate
complaints and promote public awareness about
human rights in Uganda, identified
the following features of human rights that need attention: armed conflict and
instability; lack
of facilities and funds for detention; delays in the
administration of justice; delays in legal reforms; street children; domestic
violence; poverty; corruption; abuse of office; ignorance and illiteracy; some
aspects of traditional culture; restrictions on the
right of peaceful
demonstration; and restriction on political party activities.
- In
order to improve and enhance the protection and care of refugee children, UNHCR
has adopted a policy on refugee children that was
endorsed by the UNHCR
Executive Committee in October 1993. The UNHCR Guidelines on Refugee
Children, first published in 1988, have
been updated in the light of the new
policy. At their core lies the realization of the need which children have for
special care
and assistance. Refugee children face far greater dangers to their
safety and well-being than the average child. The sudden and
violent onset of
emergencies, the disruption of families and community structures as well as the
acute shortage of resources with
which most refugees are confronted deeply
affect the physical and psychological well-being of refugee children. These are
mainly
the concerns reflected in the Guidelines, which define the goals and
objectives, principles and practical measures for the protection
of and
assistance to refugee children. The policy focuses attention on the
children’s developmental needs, their gender and
cultural framework, the
special requirements of unaccompanied minors, and their particular problems that
arise in the context of
repatriation and reintegration.
- A
Psychosocial Support Programme for the care of children in conflict areas and
their families started in Kitgum district in July
1998 and later expanded to
cover Gulu district. This programme was expanded to cover the districts of
Lira, Apac, Arua, Moyo, and
Adjumani, part of Nebbi, Masindi and Bundibugyo.
The major activities of the programme are:
- To receive,
rehabilitate, resettle and reintegrate formerly abducted children;
- To train
psychosocial actors in psychosocial recovery;
- To train actors
like the UPDF on the Children Statute and human rights;
- To develop
psychosocial materials;
- To undertake a
regional and national review of psychosocial programmes.
- The
key partners in the programme are: MGL&SD, UNICEF, USAID, AVSI,
World Vision, Redd Barna, Red Barnet, Gulu Save the Children
Organization
(GUSCO), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the respective districts. A
national core group for psychosocial
support has been established with
representation from government, districts, NGOs and donors. The national
core group is also involved
in advocacy (both locally and internationally)
against killing, abduction and other conflict-related child abuse.
- In
addition, Save the Children (Denmark) and Save the Children (Sweden), in
collaboration with the UPDF and GUSCO, have been jointly
implementing a project
within the UPDF Fourth Division with the aim of promoting the observance of
the rights of children affected
by armed conflict, in particular formerly
abducted children. The implementation strategy includes developing a
partnership with
the UPDF on training the officers in the Child Protection Unit
(CPU) and advocacy targeted at the UPDF leadership. The training
targeted three
levels, which are the senior officers, military instructors in 10 training
schools and the Fourth Division. Many
achievements have been registered; there
is an image that has been built with the communities in the UPDF Fourth
Division, which
is crucial for long-term peace in Acholiland. Specifically, the
confidence of children in contact with the military is built, which
is an
important step in their psychosocial recovery. There is also a children’s
desk within the UPDF Fourth Division headquarters
which was elevated to a
unit, which is proactive in the protection of the rights of children and also
provides a model for replication
in other divisions of the UPDF to address
the needs of formerly abducted children. It is important to point out that
there has been
an increased awareness of the military on child rights protection
within the UPDF, especially the staff within CPU who have received
additional
training on psychosocial issues, child survival and development. To date, 130
officers and 5,835 men of the UPDF have
received sensitization and training on
child rights protection issues with 7 of the trained officers from the Fourth
Division having
participated in a peacekeeping course in Sweden.
- The
Governments of Uganda and the Sudan signed an agreement in Nairobi in
December 1999 for the return of children abducted from northern
Uganda and
taken to the Sudan by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Each
Government made a commitment: The Government of the
Sudan was to facilitate the
recovery of abducted children. The first group of children arrived in
January 2000 and currently, the
Government of Uganda has received
150 children. According to statistics, about 4,000 children are
unaccounted for. However, in
the subsequent meetings the Government
appealed for the release of children from the LRA. There are several
interventions to address
the needs of children affected by armed conflict.
These include community care, sensitization on peace and reconciliation with
partners,
and strengthening existing community systems like the local councils,
religious institutions, clan leaders and traditional leaders
to give support to
these children.
- Civil
society organizations, particularly faith-based and non-governmental
organizations, have started a number of initiatives to
address the problems
associated with armed conflict in northern Uganda. A Joint Forum for Peace was
formed in Kitgum district with
the aim of seeking a peaceful resolution of the
13-year-old conflict in northern Uganda. Members of the Forum include central
government,
district and NGO representatives. Other civil initiatives include
the Peace and Reconciliation Committee formed in Gulu district,
the Acholi
Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative and the Justice and Peace Committee
formed by the Catholic Church in Uganda.
7. Street children
Recommendations of the
Committee:
|
(a) A strategy should be adopted to tackle the problem of children working
and/or living on the street;
|
(b) Informal education programmes should be designed and adopted to prevent
sexual abuse and exploitation of children, especially
child prostitutes.
|
- A
Street Children’s Desk (SCD) has been established in the MGL&SD to
coordinate the activities of all NGOs active in this
area. A practice guideline
for people working with street children in Uganda has been developed. The goals
of the guideline are
to: reduce physical, emotional and psychological abuse of
street children; provide temporary, quality and developmentally oriented
care
for street children that leads to improvement in the quality of their lives;
encourage street children to live in families;
provide alternative selfsupport
activities that empower a street child to live an independent and productive
life; encourage vocational
skills training for street children so that they can
use these skills to earn a living; make the police more responsive to the plight
of street children and in the process develop childfriendly approaches to
handling them; develop a good working relationship between
a street worker
and a child, which enables the exploration and use of better rehabilitative
alternatives to assist the child; and
improve the efficiency and quality of
services rendered by different stakeholders to street children in Uganda.
- The
Government has come up with a training manual for those who work with street
children. The manual aims at standardizing services
to street children and
provides knowledge and skills required for the handling of street children. The
Government is currently implementing
a strategy aimed at removing and
reintegrating street children back to their communities. Out of 370 children
from the streets of
Kampala, over 200 have been successfully reintegrated. The
experiences from this exercise have been documented and will be used
to remove
street children from other urban areas of Uganda.
- Many
of the street children have joined primary school through the UPE programme.
Some of the children who have not been resettled
are benefiting from skills
training which is mainly offered by NGOs focusing on carpentry, metalwork,
tailoring, agriculture, radio
and TV repair, etc.
8. Child abuse and exploitation
Recommendations of the
Committee:
|
(a) Specific attention should be given to monitoring the full
implementation of labour laws in order to protect children from being
economically exploited. Authorities should adopt explicit legislation and
measures to protect children from economic exploitation
through employment as
domestic servants and in other informal sectors, engage in research and
collection of data, and promote integration
and vocational training
programmes;
|
(b) The State party should consider ratifying the ILO Minimum Age for
Employment Convention, 1973 (No. 138);
|
(c) Special attention should be given to the problems of ill-treatment and
abuse, including sexual abuse of children within the family
and corporal
punishment in schools; the Committee stresses the need for information and
education campaigns to prevent and combat
the use of any forms of physical or
mental violence against children, in accordance with article 19 of the
Convention;
|
(d) Comprehensive studies on these problems should be initiated in order to
understand them better and to facilitate the elaboration
of policies and
programmes to combat them effectively, including rehabilitation
programmes.
|
- Uganda
has ratified ILO Convention No. 138. Although Uganda generally concurs
with the definitions of child labour as stated in Convention
No. 138 and
the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), the country’s
position is that the definition should
precisely identify which harmful,
exploitative and hazardous work activities involving children constitute child
labour. The view
of Government is that the definition of child labour should
include the following characteristics: work that involves children in
tasks
which extend beyond the normal roles of their own contribution to their own,
their families’ and the communities’
well-being and development;
work that is assigned to children without due consideration of their age, gender
and abilities; work
that deprives children under 16 of their rights to health
care, education, skills training, and proper physical and social well-being;
and
work that involves the performance of tasks under difficult and dangerous
circumstances without proper protective facilities
and measures, without
adequate remuneration and/or involving too much time or excessive movement with
inadequate rest/recreation
(Uganda’s Report on Position and Child Labour,
1998).
- Some
of the measures taken so far by Government since 1997 to tackle the problem of
child labour include: a review of the labour
laws to ensure legal protection of
the children involved in formal and informal employment; the development of the
PEAP to eliminate
the mass poverty that perpetuates child labour; the
introduction of UPE to achieve mechanization and social transformation; and
ensuring
continuous dialogue between Government and stakeholders involved in the
fight against child labour (Uganda Report on Position on
Child Labour,
1998).
- A
memorandum of understanding between the GOU and ILO was signed in
November 1998 to address child labour. This was reached after
Uganda
recognized and acknowledged the problem of child labour. Consequently, a
three-year National Programme of Action to Eliminate
Child Labour in Uganda was
launched. The programme is a stepbystep approach to withdrawing about 3,000
children caught up in the
worst forms of labour such as domestic service, street
work, prostitution, commercial farming, the informal sector, etc. It will
involve workers, employers and NGOs in its implementation. The National
Programme Coordinator, supported by ILO, coordinates the
National Programme of
Action. Five action programmes have been developed. These are: (i) employers
to address child labour issues
in sugar and tea estates and commercial farms;
(ii) the National Organization of Trade Unions to prevent child labour in
sugar plantations;
(iii) the NGOs Slum Aid and Uganda Youth Development Link to
prevent and rehabilitate children involved in prostitution; (iv) the
Child
Labour Unit to develop policies, conduct partner training and coordinate
implementation of the programme. Eight more action
programmes are being
developed to meet the target of 15 programmes.
- A
new subregional pilot programme covering seven African countries, namely Kenya,
Tanzania, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
and Uganda, is being developed.
The focus of this programme will be to target child labour in commercial
farms in 10 districts of
Arua, Bushenyi, Kabarole, Masaka, Rukungiri, Iganga,
Mukono, Mpigi, Mubende and Hoima. Farms growing tobacco, coffee and tea are
targeted.
9. Data collection, monitoring and evaluation system
Recommendations of the
Committee:
|
(a) Review the system of data collection and analysis and identify
appropriate disaggregated indicators to address all areas of the
Convention and
all groups of children in society;
|
(b) Consider requesting technical assistance in this regard from UNICEF,
among others.
|
- A
concerted effort by the Government of Uganda and development partners is
currently under way to revive the National Statistical
System. The Uganda
Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has been created as a semi-autonomous organization
charged with the responsibility
of developing statistics in the country. One of
the steps being taken by the UBOS is the strengthening of district planning
units
to collect and disseminate information. These units are in operation
and UBOS offers technical support. Information is disseminated
through the
Population Directorate. A series of national surveys has been conducted to
provide data for planning and advocacy.
These surveys provide data (at
household/community level) on some of the indicators for monitoring the
implementation of the Convention.
The indicators cannot, however, be
disaggregated by district due to small sample size.
- The
Government is also defining a poverty monitoring strategy that will outline a
clear structure for the public and all other institutions
involved in
monitoring. In this strategy, the Poverty Analysis Unit, MFPED will coordinate
data collection, analysis and dissemination
regarding the PEAP. The UBOS will
be responsible for census and national surveys. Sectoral ministries are
expected to design indicators
and collected administrative data on service
delivery and outcomes in their respective sectors, analyse this data and
identify policy
responses. District authorities are expected to develop a
database at district level and collect information on inputs and outputs.
The
PEAP has identified key indicators to be used in monitoring the plan.
- A
multisectoral national committee consisting of representatives from line
ministries, NGOs, UNICEF, Save the Children Alliance and
NCC developed child
rights monitoring indicators. The indicators are clustered into five broad
areas: child survival; childcare
and protection; child development; child
participation; coordination, communication, advocacy, gender mainstreaming and
resource
mobilization. They cover all aspects of the Convention. The task
ahead is to put the indicators to use.
- Other
initiatives to develop or strengthen the system of data collection and analysis
include a system for registration of abducted
children covering the seven
districts currently affected by armed conflict; a system to monitor
implementation of the juvenile justice
programme (JJP). Each line ministry has
a management information system but at various levels of functionality. The
Health Management
Information System is being strengthened to effectively
support the implementation of the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP). A
Health
Resource Centre has been established at the Ministry headquarters. The Ministry
of Education
and Sports is also strengthening the Education Management Information System
(EMIS). EMIS software has been developed and data collection
instruments
have been distributed to all districts. Districts are expected to generate
and use basic data locally.
- Three
approaches have been used to assess the impact of implementation of UNPAC on
children, adolescents and women. These are: facilitation
of the development of
DPACs and a series of annual reviews of DDPs to ensure their focus on children;
the annual review of UNPAC
implementation in all sectors which culminates in the
national consensus workshop attended by all key stakeholders; and the nationwide
update of the situation of women, adolescents and children in Uganda. A
comprehensive district-based assessment and analysis of
the situation of
children, adolescents and women has been done. This will provide a basis for
the Government of Uganda-UNICEF Country
Programme 2001-2005. The key output of
these processes will be an updated UNPAC and a revised DDP. In this process,
UNICEF is recommended
for technical, logistical and financial support.
- The
capacity to collect and process quality and timely data on indicators to monitor
the Convention is still lacking. The weakest
areas in terms of quality and
quantity data are the districts, and the childcare and protection sectors. NCC
and major stakeholders
should ensure the integration of child-related indicators
into the national statistical system currently being revived through the
PEAP
and UBOS.
10. Dissemination of the initial report
Recommendation of the Committee:
|
(c) The initial report and written replies presented by Uganda should be
made widely available to the public at large, including children,
and the report
should be published, along with the relevant summary records and the concluding
observations adopted by the Committee,
and widely distributed in order to
generate debate on and awareness of the Convention and its implementation and
monitoring within
the Government, the Parliament and the general public,
including concerned non-governmental organizations.
|
- The
initial report and related documents have not been widely disseminated, mainly
due to budgetary constraints.
III. GENERAL MEASURES TO IMPLEMENT THE CONVENTION
A. Introduction
- This
chapter outlines some of the policy initiatives, legal reforms and mechanisms in
place to implement the Convention. Below is
an update of developments in
implementation of the CRC with regard to some of the above
initiatives.
B. Policy initiatives
1. The Health Policy
- The
MoH initiated the development of the new Health Policy (HP) in 1996. Along with
the HP, GoU, development partners and other stakeholders
have jointly developed
the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) 2000-2001 - 2004-2005. The HP aims at
attaining sustainable standard
of health by all Ugandans to promote a healthy
and productive life. The key strategy in this policy is provision of
primary health
care, especially to women and children, and consolidation of
existing health services. The policy seeks to involve the community
and the
private sector more in the development and delivery of health services. The
national Health Policy, with a five-year national
strategic health plan, was
launched in October 1999. The implementation of the plan commenced in July
2000. Government also place
in a policy to ban the use of non-iodized
salt.
2. Water sector policy
- The
combined effects of poor hygiene and sanitation practices, limited access to
safe water and harsh living environments still contribute
to about 50 per cent
of child morbidity (GoU-UNICEF, 1998). Coverage of the population with access
to safe water is increasing but
still low. In 1998, 44 per cent and 60 per cent
of the population in rural and urban areas respectively had access to safe
drinking
water. The water policy emphasizes the development of water
supply in rural areas and small towns, community mobilization, and involvement
and participation by the private sector.
3. Universal primary education
- The
Government of Uganda recognizes basic education as both a human right and an
important investment in the future productive capacity
of the economy.
Government has, therefore, accorded basic education a very high political
profile. In 1997, GoU demonstrated its
commitment by declaring universal
primary education (UPE). In addition, Government provides building materials
such as iron sheets,
timber, cement and nails to Government-aided schools. As a
result of UPE the primary school enrolment increased from 2.6 million
in 1996 to
more than 6.8 million children in 2001.
4. The Education Strategic Investment Plan
- The
influx of children following the implementation of UPE and the limited resources
available to Government have negatively affected
the quality of primary
education. In order to improve on accessibility, equity, relevance and quality
of education and address the
implications of UPE on other education subsectors,
the MoES responded to this challenge by developing a five-year sectorwide
Education
Strategic Investment Plan (ESIP) for the period 1998-2003.
The ESIP would also be set within the existing policy frameworks such
as
the Local Government Act 1997, the Poverty Eradication Action Plan and the
Public Service Reform. ESIP was approved by Cabinet
in December 1998 and
launched thereafter.
- A
framework for joint reviews of sector performance and monitoring the
implementation of the ESIP by Government, donors and NGOs has
been set up. A
national plan for expansion of school facilities was approved in April
1999. The plan is based on a decentralized,
communityled approach to classroom
construction. The MoES has embarked on the development of strategic plans for
secondary, technical
and vocational education. This will be a component of
the ESIP. The strategic plan is expected to be ready for review by October
2000. Government, with the support of UNICEF, has also developed and launched
the National Strategy and Plan of Action for Girl’s
Education. The plan
is aimed at addressing 18 barriers to equitable female participation in
education.
5. The National Youth Policy
- The
National Youth Policy was developed by Government and launched in 2001. The
Policy aims at empowering youth through key strategic
action programmes. The
policy defines youth as a person 12-30 years old as opposed to the previous
definition of 18-30 years. This
is to ensure that programmes address the
developmental needs of young people in a holistic manner. Government is now in
the process
of drawing up a national action plan for the policy. The plan is
expected to be ready by 2002.
6. The draft National Policy on Young People and
HIV/AIDS
- Government,
through the Uganda AIDS Commission, developed the draft National Policy on Young
People and HIV/AIDS. The overall goal
of the Policy is to prevent and control
the spread of HIV/AIDS and to strengthen care and support for young people
infected and affected
by HIV/AIDS. The objectives of the policy are to:
increase awareness on STDs and HIV/AIDS, its prevention and control and assess
its impact on young people and young people’s impact on the course of the
epidemic; promote involvement of young people in
the conceptualization, design,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of HIV/AIDS-related interventions;
promote policies and
actions/interventions for young people’s health and
development using a human rights framework; and mobilize and provide a
framework
to all stakeholders - Government civil society, including NGOs, the private and
social sectors - to work in partnership
on young people’s health and
development.
C. Implementation and monitoring of the CRC
1. Uganda
National Programme of Action for Children
- According
to the decentralization policy, the functions of a central government department
include policy and legislative development,
quality assurance (including
monitoring and supervision), inspection, training, technical advice and
guidance in their respective
area of mandate. The lead agency for coordinating
and monitoring the implementation of child rightsrelated programmes is the
National
Council for Children (NCC). Other ministries/departments are
responsible for sectors that fall within their mandates. Some of the
mechanisms established by Government to accelerate implementation of the
Convention are presented below.
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social
Development
- A
Street Children’s Desk (SCD) and the National Street Children Committee
have been set up to ensure integration of children
back into their communities
in the Department of Youth and Child Affairs in the MGL&SD.
- A
Child Labour Unit and the National Planning Committee on Child Labour have been
set up within the Department of Labour, Employment
and Industrial Relations,
MGL&SD. The purpose of the Unit and the Committee is to develop programmes
to address the issue of
child labour in Uganda. The members of the subcommittee
were drawn from line ministries, workers’ and employers’
representatives,
NGOs, academia and the media.
Ministry of Education and Sports
- The
Education Sector Investment Plan (ESIP) 1998-2003 brings together Government,
donors, the private sector and NGOs to mobilize
support and resources for the
education sector. Eight cross-cutting working groups have been established to
manage the ESIP. The
working groups are responsible for: sector policy and
management; financial planning and management; monitoring and evaluation;
primary education; secondary education; technical and vocational education and
training; tertiary education; and teacher education.
Each working group
produces a report every six months and a composite report is compiled to form
input into the biannual ESIP review.
Government, through the Ministry of
Education and Sports, is planning to establish the National Council for Higher
Education and
the Education Standards Agency. Restructuring of the Ministry is
almost complete. Only 27 per cent of the 266 established posts
in the Ministry
are still vacant and will be filled by the end of the year 2000.
Ministry of Health
- The
Health Policy (HP) and the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) were developed
in line with the 1997 PEAP. The HSSP is implemented
through the Health
Policy Implementation Committee, which consists of eight subcommittees, namely
Human Resources, Health Infrastructure,
Basic Package, Finance and Procurement,
Supervision and Monitoring, Decentralization, Research and Development, and
Public-Private
Mix.
- A
Health Sector Review Committee (HSRC) has also been formed to: generate
consensus among all stakeholders in the implementation
of the HP and the HSSP;
review and endorse reports and recommendations of the Health Policy
Implementation Committee; and provide
support and guidance in the implementation
of the HP in general. Membership in the HSRC is multisectoral and includes
representatives
from central government departments, local authorities,
institutions of higher learning, research institutions, NGOs, parliament,
civil
society and traditional practitioners. The HSRC meets quarterly.
- Consultative
meetings and joint meetings are held biannually to review sector performance
(expenditures and outputs) for each component
of the sector, agree on the
financial resource envelope for the following year and adopt the revised draft
annual plan of action
for the
next year. Membership in the meeting includes the relevant government
ministries and the Department of Information; development partners,
representatives of NGOs and potential partners also attend.
- As
a result of all these initiatives, a clear vision for the health sector has
evolved, priorities have been agreed, agreement has
been reached to use common
working arrangements with regard to planning, budgeting, disbursement,
procurement, reporting and monitoring,
the GoU and development partners are
ready to operate through the sectorwide approach, and a partnership fund has
been established
to support preparatory activities of the HSSP. The Health
Service Commission to take care of human resources issues has been set
up under
the Ministry of Health. See also paragraphs 135 and 136 below.
2. District-level mechanism
- Following
the decentralization policy, the first DPAC was developed in January 1994.
Since then, NCC and partners at the national
level have facilitated the
development of 34 DPACs now integrated into the respective District Development
Plans. Child advocacy
programme officers were deployed in 14 districts, mainly
in eastern Uganda. Local government authorities and district development
committees ensure implementation of programmes for children at district and
community levels. Key officers in districts responsible
for implementation
of DPACs are: Secretaries for Children’s Affairs (SCAs), chief
administrative officers (CAO), district
planners, district probation and welfare
officers, district water officers, district education officers and district
directors of
health services. Periodic reviews of DDPs are undertaken
by NCC to ensure that they focus on children. A number of NGOs participate
in the district planning and review meeting. Linkages between Government and
NGOs exist, but need to be strengthened.
D. Budgetary allocations
- There
has been a substantial increase in resources allocated to the public expenditure
high-priority areas of good governance, modernization
of agriculture, roads, and
improving the quality of life of the poor. The proportion of budgetary
allocation to children is computed
on the basis of government, donor and NGO
contributions to five sectors identified in UNPAC, namely: health and
nutrition, policy,
water and sanitation, basic education, and child
protection.
- The
share of social services in the national budget grew from less than 20 per cent
in the 1980s to about 30 per cent in 1997/98.
The health sector has
received substantial increases in resources and its share in the total
government budget increased from 6.37
per cent in 1995/96 to 12.55 per cent in
1998/99. However, about two thirds of the total recurrent expenditure on health
is still
provided by the private sector.
- The
education subsector receives almost one quarter of the total discretionary
recurrent budget, of which primary education receives
more than 62 per cent.
Secondary and tertiary education account for 15 per cent and 18 per cent of the
education allocation, respectively
(Background to the Budget, 1999/2000).
Government expenditure on education has risen
steadily between 1995/96 and 2000/01. The percentage of the total budget
allocated to primary education increased steadily from 1995/96
to 1998/99, as
shown in figure 3. Most of this increase has gone to classroom construction and
procurement of instruction materials.
Table 2
Ministry of Education and Sports recurrent and
development expenditures
|
Budget
estimates as percentage of total MoES budget
|
|
1998/99
|
1999/2000
|
2000/01 (Planned)
|
MoES recurrent expenditure
|
|
|
|
Primary education
|
54
|
45.3
|
52.2
|
Secondary education
|
12
|
11.1
|
11.1
|
Tertiary institutions
|
10.3
|
9.1
|
8.7
|
Others
|
2.7
|
2.1
|
2.0
|
MoES development expenditure
|
|
|
|
Primary education
|
20.4
|
26.2
|
20.7
|
Secondary education
|
0.6
|
0.4
|
0.8
|
Tertiary institutions
|
0.5
|
0.6
|
0.6
|
Classroom construction
|
5.6
|
9.7
|
12.8
|
Textbooks
|
2.4
|
4.0
|
5.5
|
Teachers
|
33.4
|
28.8
|
32.4
|
Others
|
0.2
|
0.8
|
1.0
|
Source: MoES Statistical Abstracts, 1999.
- Expenditure
on water and sanitation is one of the high priorities. The childcare- and
protection-related interventions continue to
receive paltry budgetary
allocations and releases from both Government and donors compared to the other
social sectors. For instance,
a survey conducted by MGL&SD revealed that
districts allocate on average 0.38 per cent of their total budget to childcare
and
protection activities. Table 3 shows the budgetary trends/out-turns for the
three years 1996/97 to 1998/99.
Table 3
Functional analysis of central government recurrent
expenditure
|
Expenditure (million shillings)
|
Expenditure (% of total)
|
|
1996/97
|
1997/98
|
1998/99
|
1996/97
|
1997/98
|
1998/99 2000/01
|
Education affairs and services
|
60 836
|
69 437
|
107 395
|
9.9
|
10.6
|
12.5
|
Health affairs and services
|
40 321
|
29 592
|
23 197
|
6.6
|
4.5
|
2.7
|
Other community affairs and services
|
8 871
|
6 786
|
9 491
|
1.4
|
1.0
|
1.1
|
Other economic affairs and services
|
11 783
|
9 924
|
9 492
|
1.9
|
1.5
|
1.1
|
Grand total
|
612 933
|
652 281
|
857 974
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
Source: Background to the Budget 1999/2000, MFPED.
- Through
the HIPC and other donor support, Government has mobilized a significant amount
of resources, which are being channelled to
the poorest people through the
Poverty Action Fund (PAF). The donor/credit contribution to the development
budget for basic social
services therefore is high, raising the issue of
sustainability in the medium and long term. There is a need to mobilize and tap
additional resources from the communities and individuals to support the social
services and also a need for Government to increase
the allocation of resources
to the social sector. Table 4 shows the sources and uses of the PAF.
Table 4
Sources and uses of the Poverty Action Fund (PAF) in
1998/99 (billion shillings)
|
Amount
|
HIPC Debt Initiative
|
44.64
|
Debt buyback (Austria)
|
4.26
|
Additional donor financing
|
20.89
|
Netherlands
|
8.78
|
Sweden
|
8.31
|
United Kingdom
|
3.80
|
Total PAF
|
69.79
|
B. Uses
|
Additional expenditures
|
|
GoU budget 1997/98
|
From PAF 1998/99
|
GoU budget 1998/99
|
% increase
|
Donor supported
|
|
|
|
|
Primary school construction
|
0.00
|
6.22
|
6.22
|
n.a
|
Primary health care conditional grant
|
1.70
|
4.66
|
6.36
|
274
|
Monitoring activities
|
0.00
|
0.37
|
0.37
|
n.a
|
Subtotal donor
|
1.70
|
11.25
|
12.95
|
662
|
Table 4 (continued)
|
Additional expenditures
|
|
GoU budget 1997/98
|
From PAF 1998/99
|
GoU budget 1998/99
|
% increase
|
GoU/HIPC-supported
|
|
|
|
|
Primary education conditional grant
|
21.99
|
8.01
|
30.00
|
36
|
Primary education development budget
|
4.52
|
2.39
|
6.91
|
53
|
Rural roads conditional grant for maintenance
|
4.99
|
7.00
|
11.99
|
140
|
Rural roads development budget
|
6.44
|
6.86
|
13.30
|
107
|
Agriculture extension conditional grant
|
0.00
|
4.00
|
4.00
|
n.a
|
District water supply and sanitation development budget
|
3.88
|
8.10
|
11.98
|
209
|
NGO primary health care
|
0.00
|
3.00
|
3.00
|
n.a
|
Primary health care development budget
|
2.77
|
2.88
|
5.65
|
104
|
District health units - lunch allowance
|
0.50
|
4.73
|
5.23
|
946
|
Inspector General of Government
|
1.00
|
0.82
|
1.82
|
82
|
Provision for enhanced monitoring of expenditures
|
1.52
|
2.63
|
4.15
|
173
|
Subtotal GoU/HIPC
|
47.61
|
50.42
|
98.03
|
106
|
Total gross expenditure
|
49.31
|
61.67
|
110.98
|
125
|
Source: Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
Table 5
Revenue transfers to districts and other local
governments (million shillings)
|
1995/96
|
1996/97
|
1997/98
|
1998/99
|
Transfers to primary education
|
0
|
14 000
|
22 000
|
30 000
|
Transfers to secondary education
|
3 987.8
|
4 290
|
4 300
|
4 320
|
School construction
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
6 221
|
Source: Background to the Budget 1999/2000, MFPED (all figures are
budget estimates).
Table 6
Budgetary trends/out-turns
|
1996/97
|
1997/98
|
1998/99
|
Education
|
(21.8%)
|
(24.1%)
|
(26.4%)
|
Education and sports (including primary education)
|
35.31
|
36.68
|
68.98
|
Primary education including school facilities grant
|
81.11
|
115.54
|
151.09
|
Secondary education
|
28.81
|
30.0
|
39.6
|
Tertiary institutions
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
7.46
|
Subtotal
|
174.18
|
212.57
|
297.32
|
Health
|
(7.4%)
|
(6.8%)
|
(6.3%)
|
Health
|
23.63
|
19.19
|
20.96
|
NGO hospitals/primary health care
|
0.00
|
0.76
|
2.91
|
District primary health care
|
0.00
|
1.14
|
6.27
|
District medical services
|
8.32
|
5.95
|
6.17
|
District health training schools
|
0.87
|
1.42
|
1.73
|
District referral hospitals
|
12.26
|
8.67
|
13.28
|
Subtotal
|
59.34
|
60.24
|
71.29
|
Economic functions and social services
|
(6.5%)
|
(5.7%)
|
(4.0%)
|
Labour and social welfare
|
3.84
|
1.88
|
0.00
|
Gender, labour and social development
|
2.79
|
2.39
|
3.40
|
Subtotal
|
51.74
|
50.46
|
44.65
|
Grand total
|
798.44
|
882.00
|
1 127.13
|
Source: Background to the Budget 1999/2000, MFEPD.
Notes:
- Subtotals
include expenditures on other services for each of the sectors and grand totals
are the total budget out-turns in each financial
year.
- Nominal
totals in billion shillings, all figures include appropriation-in-aid and
include arrears and promissory notes.
IV. DEFINITION OF A CHILD
- The
age of majority in Uganda is 18 years. At the time of submission of the initial
report, there was a lot of ambiguity as regards
the definition of a child in
Uganda. The Children Statute 1996 dispelled all that ambiguity and all other
statutes accordingly recognize
the child as any person below the age of 18
years.
- The
law on the age of sexual consent is skewed in favour of the girl child. The law
sets out to protect the girl child. A boy below
the age of 18 who has sexual
relations with a girl of the same age is considered to have broken the law and
the girl is considered
a victim. In recognition of article 21 of the
Convention, this anomaly is being addressed and a proposal is included in the
sexual
offences bill to review this section of the law.
V. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
- The
Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (art. 21) provides equality before the
law and protects all persons against discrimination on grounds of
sex, race,
colour, ethnic origin, tribe, creed, religion, social or economic standing or
political opinion. However, Government
is aware that discrimination against
certain groups of children in practice still exists. The bases for
discrimination include:
gender biases within the family and community such as
son preference; overworking girls and putting a low priority on girls’
education; geographical location (rural areas and some remote
districts/locations have less access to resources and services); religion;
ethnicity; poverty; disability; and refugees status.
- General
attitudes towards children in society at large are sometimes negative and
authoritarian. For example, children are expected
to show respect and obey
parents, elders and those in authority. Children are sometimes seen as the
property of the family and subordinated
to families and clans. According to a
baseline survey on girl child sexual abuse (FIDA, 1999, p. 1):
“children have no voice
and keep quiet when their rights are infringed
upon”.
- Some
of the causes of discrimination are deep-seated for example, in cultural
beliefs. Actions taken in this regard include: the
development of gender
policy, which has now been translated to the National Action Plan on Women; the
implementation of UPE; the
development and implementation of the PEAP; and the
development and implementation of the Plan of Action to Fight Corruption.
- To
address the discrimination that is inherent in the education sector as a result
of geographical and cultural factors, Government
introduced interventions for
complementary education for street children, children in the nomadic pastoral
areas of Karamoja, and
the disadvantaged children in Kamuli.
- The
principle of the best interest of the child is reflected in the Constitution and
the Children Statute 1996.
- Children,
especially in schools, have opportunities to express their views through songs,
drama, debates, clubs and story telling.
Children’s ages and the types of
significant adults they relate to limit participation in decision-making.
A major information,
education and communication (IEC) campaign, the Sara
initiative, is being implemented to promote the development of the girl child.
While the rights of children to express their views are recognized by the law,
in practice many adults, including parents, expect
that children will listen and
obey. Children’s upbringing emphasized parental power,
obedience and long hours of work (FIDA,
1997).
- The
right to life, survival and development is reflected in the Uganda National Plan
of Action for Children, whose goal is to establish
and achieve survival,
protection and development targets related to children and women that build on
existing government policies,
structures and sectoral plans.
- To
ensure child survival, measures have been taken to improve the quality of and
accessibility to health-care services. Health units
have been rehabilitated and
new ones have been constructed. There is an improvement in the supply of drugs
and medical equipment
to government health units.
- Government
has set the following targets in relation to the health and well-being of
children, to ensure their survival: maintenance
of high levels of immunization
coverage (at least 85 per cent of infants under 1 year) against six
immunizable diseases and against
tetanus for women of childbearing age;
elimination of neonatal tetanus cases; elimination of poliomyelitis cases;
reduction of 95
per cent of mortality due to measles; reduction by 30 per cent
of the deaths caused by acute respiratory infections in children under
5 years;
reduction of malaria-caused mortality in children under 5 years from 20 per cent
to 10 per cent and morbidity by 30 per
cent; reduction of malaria in pregnant
mothers by 60 per cent; reduction of deaths due to diarrhoea by 50 per cent
and reduce the
incidence of diarrhoea by 20 per cent in children under 5 years;
reduction of mother-to-child transmissions of HIV by reducing conception
among
HIV-positive women; reduction of transmission of HIV through reduction of STDs
and changed sexual behaviour; reduction of transmission
of HIV in the
health-care setting and through sociocultural practices; and reduction of the
socio-economic impact of HIV-infected
parents on children through reducing
suffering and prolonging the useful life of their parents and through assisting
communities
and care for orphans.
- In
addition, Government has made an effort to coordinate and integrate primary
healthcare programmes in all health centres. These
include the integrated
management of childhood illness treatment programmes, safe motherhood promotion
through mother-baby packages
and the development and use of an essential health
package.
- To
overcome inadequate knowledge, negative attitudes and practices that promote
poor health among children and thereby threaten their
survival, Government,
through the Ministry of Health, has embarked on a nationwide IEC campaign to
create awareness on various health
aspects.
VI. CIVIL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
Name and nationality (art. 7)
- Article
18 of the Constitution provides for registration of every birth. The Birth and
Death Registration Act (1970) amended by Decree No. 3 of 1974 also provides for
the registration of births and deaths within six months. During the years
of
political turmoil and mismanagement, mechanisms for registration of births and
deaths were run down. The practice of and requirement
for registration is
lax. However, today efforts are being made to revitalize the process of
registration of births and deaths.
A project for the same is being piloted in
two selected districts of the country.
- Issues
of name and identity are provided for in the Constitution and the Children
Statute. The Constitution specifies who a citizen of Uganda is by birth and by
registration. Article 11 of the Constitution provides that a child of not more
than 5 years of age found in Uganda whose parents are not known shall be
presumed to be a citizen
of Uganda by birth. It also provides for adoption of
children born to non-Ugandan citizens. It says that a child under the age
of
18 years neither of whose parents is a citizen of Uganda who is adopted by
a citizen of Uganda shall on application be recognized
as a citizen of
Uganda.
- Section
5 of the Children Statute 1996 clearly specifies the child’s right to live
with his or her parents. All parents are responsible
for their children and
where they are deceased the Children Statute provides that parental
responsibility may be passed on to the
relatives of either parent or to a foster
parent. The Statute provides that if a competent authority determines in
accordance with
the laws that it is in the best interest of the child to
separate the child from his or her parents, the best substitute care shall
be
provided for the child.
Preservation of identity (art. 8)
- The
Children Statute 1996 provides for the right of a child to know the identity of
both parents. Where the child is deprived of
his identity through denial of
parentage by one of his parents, the Children Statute provides measures for the
proof of parentage
(Part IX). If evidence of parentage is established, this
ensures that the child belongs to the clan and can inherit the property
of a
declared parent.
Freedom of expression (art. 13)
- The
Constitution in article 29 provides for the right of every person to freedom of
speech and expression. Article 41 provides all citizens with
the right of
access to information.
- The
liberalization of the media also provides an opportunity for children to express
their views beyond the confines of the family.
The media have provided children
with an opportunity to express their views on various issues of interest to
them. Almost all the
print and electronic media have provision for children to
express their views. Leading newspapers have weekly columns specially
reserved
for children. Radio and television stations also have programmes for children;
these are presented by the children. The
government newspaper, the New
Vision, runs a monthly pullout entitled “Young Talk” in which
children discuss issues that are of interest and relevance to
them.
“Young Talk” is widely distributed all over the country. However,
the variety, quality and appropriateness of
media programmes available to
children is still poor. There are no effective mechanisms in place to protect
children from harmful
influence through the media.
- Children
are free to join associations and participate in peaceful assemblies. Many
schools in Uganda today have established debating
clubs and child rights clubs,
which provides children with an opportunity to access information and to discuss
issues of interest
to them. Unfortunately, such opportunities are limited to
children in schools, especially within urban areas.
Freedom of thought, conscience and religion (art.
14)
- The
Constitution, in articles 29 and 37, provide that every person has a right to
belong to and profess any religion in community with others that
is consistent
with the manner of the Constitution. No specific reference is made to
children.
- There
is freedom of worship in Uganda. Children in Uganda normally practise the
religion of their parents.
Freedom of association and peaceful assembly (art.
15)
- Freedom
of assembly is provided in article 29 of the Constitution. Government
encourages co-curricular activities in schools, which enables children to
develop their capacity and enhance their character
formation. Many schools have
a number of clubs and associations to which membership for children is
open.
Protection of privacy (art. 16)
- The
right to privacy, home and other property is provided for in article 27 of the
Constitution. The Children Statute 1996 provides for the child’s right to
privacy in judicial proceedings (sect. 103). It emphasizes the need to respect
the child’s privacy to avoid potential harm that may be caused to the
child by undue publicity.
Access to appropriate information (art. 17)
- Government
has made an effort to increase the availability of and access to information
materials for children for academic instruction,
general information and
entertainment. The Government has approved the use of materials produced and
published locally for the school
curriculum; these are more relevant, cheaper
and accessible to more people than the traditionally used books that were
imported from
outside the country.
Right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman
or degrading treatment or punishment (art. 37 (a))
- Uganda
has the legal framework to protect children from torture and inhuman treatment.
Article 24 of the Constitution provides that no person shall be subjected to any
form of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The
Children
Statute (sect. 6) also provides for the protection of children from
violence and abuse.
- Awareness
campaigns have been undertaken in the media to advocate against physical
violence against children. The Ministry of Education
in conjunction with the
African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and
Neglect (ANPPCAN), a child-rights
NGO, held a stakeholder consultative meeting
in October 1999 in a bid to generate alternatives to corporal punishment as a
means
of disciplining children in Uganda. There is an ongoing public debate on
the issue of corporal punishment in Uganda.
- There
are a number of cases of children in Uganda who have been tortured and subjected
to inhuman treatment. The most recent is the
case of 12-year-old
Enocha.
Enocha’s case was made public on 8 August 2000 by the press. Enocha
had for months been tortured and starved by his father
and his stepmother. He
was discovered near death by his paternal aunt in his parents’ house on
the outskirts of Kampala on
5 August 2000.
The pictures of the child published in the papers raised a public outcry.
Enocha had been denied food and he was tied up inside
the house. He was
admitted to Mulago main hospital suffering from chronic starvation and a broken
left arm.
His parents were arrested and charged with attempted murder. During the
court proceedings Enocha testified that his father and stepmother
collaborated
to kill him, and that he was tied with a rope to a bed in his father’s
bedroom. They did this to him because
the stepmother claimed that he had stolen
his sibling’s food. Enocha also went on to testify that his father was
also very
abusive towards him.
Both parents denied the charges, claiming that the child had malaria and
had run away from the home when he was already sick and
that is why he lost a
lot of weight. However, doctors proved that Enocha had been starved and would
have died if he had not been
discovered.
The court refuted the defence of the accused persons and found both of
them guilty. They were sentenced to 14 years in prison.
When asked what he
thought of the verdict, Enocha said that he was glad that his parents were
arrested because they had really tortured
him.
|
- In
Uganda measures have been developed to assist the physical and psychological
recovery and reintegration of children who have been
tortured. There are
psychosocial services, which are provided by hospitals and community workers.
Tortured children also receive
medical treatment from the hospitals to help them
recover physically.
VII. FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AND ALTERNATIVE CARE
Parental guidance (art. 5)
- There
are two major kinds of family structures in Uganda, i.e. the nuclear family,
which comprises the husband, wife and their children,
and the extended family,
which consists of the nuclear family plus the near or distant relations of the
husband and wife. In addition,
there are also polygamous families,
single-parent families and, of late, there are child-headed families as a result
of the impact
of HIV/AIDS. The responsibility of parents and their rights to
take care of their children are expressed in section 6 of the Children Statute.
The welfare principle, which embodies the principle of the best interest of the
child, underlies the responsibilities
of parents towards their children.
- The
Government of Uganda is implementing a national early childhood development
project with the objective of teaching parents how
to prepare a firm foundation
for their children. This project is being implemented in 25 districts through
various NGOs.
Parental responsibilities (art. 18, paras. 1-2)
- The
law in Uganda adequately endows parents with the responsibility for their
children. The Constitution, in article 31 (4), provides that it is the right
and duty of parents to care for and bring up their children. The Children
Statute,
section 7, emphasizes the responsibility of parents towards their
children. It states that “every parent shall have the responsibility
for
his/her children”. The Children Statute also provides that in the
upbringing of the child, any decision made on behalf
of the child shall be in
line with the best interest of the child.
- The
Children Statute provides for support of children by the local authorities in
case the parents or guardians are unable to take
proper care of their children
(Part III, sects. 11-13). The local authorities are required to provide
assistance to the children
in need in their areas of jurisdiction. The
Government of Uganda is unable to provide direct assistance to children of
single-parent
families and those from the disadvantaged groups, but it has
created an enabling environment that has led to the emergence of organizations
that focus on such children. Specifically, there is the Single Mothers
Association of Uganda, which helps single mothers.
Separation from parents (art. 9)
- The
Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, article 31 (5), provides that children
may not be separated from their families or the persons entitled
to bring them
up against the will of their families or those persons, except in accordance
with the law. Section 5 of the Children Statute provides that where a competent
authority determines in accordance with the applicable laws and procedures
that
it is in the best interests of the child to separate him or her from his or her
parents or parent, the best substitute care
shall be made available for the
child.
- The
Probation and Social Welfare Officer is responsible for ensuring that a child
whose best interests are at stake is provided with
appropriate care. The
supervision order is provided for placing such a child under the care of a
Probation and Social Welfare Officer
while leaving the child under the care of
the parents.
- A
care order is provided for children who are suffering significant harm or are
likely to suffer under their parents, and for children
in danger. Under the
care order, the Probation and Social Welfare Officer or an authorized person
makes an application for a care
order which places the child under the care of
the warden of an approved home or with foster parents. During the period of
separation
from the parents, the warden of the approved home or the foster
parent has parental responsibility for the child.
- The
child’s contact with the parents while in the approved home or with the
foster parents is encouraged, unless it is not in
the best interests of the
child. The warden (where the child is placed in an approved home) or the
Probation and Social Welfare
Officer (where the child is placed in a foster
home) has the responsibility of ensuring that communication is maintained with
the
parents of the child.
- The
Children Statute gives the Probation and Social Welfare Officer the duty to work
with the parents, guardians or relatives to whom
the child is expected to return
after the termination of the care order. In this respect, the Probation and
Social Welfare Officer
is required to provide child and family counselling
before, during and after the child’s return and to gain the assistance
of
those in the community who can help to resolve the problems that caused the care
order to be made.
Family reunification (art. 10)
- No
specific legislation exists to address the right to reunification as provided
for in the Convention. The Immigration Act 1969
regulates immigration in
Uganda.
Illicit transfer and non-return (art. 11)
- A
number of children in northern Uganda have been abducted by the LRA and taken to
the Sudan to fight as child soldiers. Measures
have been taken to ensure that
these children are returned and resettled with their families.
Recovery and maintenance for the child (art. 27, para.
4)
- The
Children Statute (sects. 78-88) provides for the maintenance of a child where
one or both parents neglects to provide for maintenance
irrespective of whether
the parents are married, staying together, separated or divorced. The Statute
provides that any person who
has the custody of a child may make an application
for a maintenance order to the family and children court having jurisdiction in
the place where the applicant resides, against the mother or father of the
child, as the case may be. A child may also make an application
for a
maintenance order through a friend. The application for maintenance may be made
at any time during pregnancy or before the
child attains 18 years of age.
- The
family and children court is responsible for hearing the evidence of the
applicant and the evidence of the father or mother and
making a decision to
proceed to have an order against the father or mother for payment to the
applicant. The mother or father may
be required to pay a monthly sum of money
as may be determined by the court, having regard to the circumstances of the
case and the
financial means of the parent for the maintenance of the child.
The costs for placing the order are also imposed on the parent.
Maintenance
includes feeding, clothing, education and general welfare of the child. The
court may also opt for a lump sum payment,
which is paid to court and expended
to meet the maintenance of the child. An order for maintenance may be made
against the estate
of a deceased person who has been declared the parent of the
child. If the parent against whom the order is made neglects or refuses
to pay
the sum due to him or her under the order, the court may attach his or her
earnings or property to meet the maintenance costs.
- The
amount of money provided for in the maintenance order may be changed upon
application by either the applicant or the parent against
whom the order was
made. The money payable under the maintenance order is paid to the applicant
unless a custodian has been appointed,
in which case the money is paid to the
custodian. The maintenance order ceases to have effect if custody of the child
is granted
to the parent that the order was made against.
- The
Children Statute protects the interests of the child in the award of maintenance
orders. It provides that misapplying of money
paid for the maintenance of a
child by the person who has custody is a crime. In such instances, the Statute
provides for changing
custody in the best interests of the child.
Children deprived of their family environment (art.
20)
- Social
norms as regards the position of the child within the family relate to
protection, care and providing for their well-being.
But with increased
poverty, urbanization and modernization, children are increasingly being
considered as burdens. They are being
neglected and there is an increase in
child abandonment cases. The Children Statute provides the legal framework
regarding adoption,
and inter-country adoption is allowed but with stringent
conditions. Placement of children in institutions is considered as a last
resort as the family unit is the best environment for a child.
- Violence
within the family is common, especially between parents and against women and
children. Society recognizes violence against
women and children within the
family as a problem but accepts that it is a prerogative of men, especially to
keep discipline and
order in the home. It is difficult to tell whether reported
cases of child abuse, neglect and mistreatment reflect actual levels
because of
lack of data and limited research. Government, through the law, sensitization
of the general public and counselling,
has taken steps to prevent abuse,
rehabilitate victims and punish perpetrators. Such efforts are, however,
limited by resource constraints,
lack of trained manpower, widespread ignorance
and poverty among the people.
- Sexual
abuse within the family is recognized as a problem by Government and NGOs. Some
of the steps taken by NGOs to address the
problem include: sensitizing and
educating parents/guardians, educating children and giving them live skills,
sensitizing the public.
Social workers and other professionals dealing with
children and families have also received training on how to handle the
problem.
VIII. BASIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
A. Health and health services
Recommendations
of the Committee:
|
(a) Government should take all appropriate measures, including through
international cooperation, to prevent and combat infant and
maternal mortality
and malnutrition;
|
(b) Government should strengthen its information and prevention programmes
to combat HIV/AIDS, particularly to prevent the transmission
to children of
HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and to eliminate discriminatory
attitudes towards children affected
by or infected with HIV/AIDS;
|
(c) Government should pursue and strengthen family planning and
reproductive health educational programmes, including for adolescents.
|
- Article
34 (3) of the 1996 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda states, “No
child shall be deprived by any person of medical treatment, education or any
other social
benefits by reason of religious beliefs or other beliefs”.
Furthermore clause (4) of the same article states, “Children
are to be
entitled to be protected from social exploitation and shall not be employed or
required to perform work that is likely
to be hazardous or to interfere with
their health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social
development”.
- The
1998 Annual Report of the Uganda Human Rights Commission stated that many
Ugandans do not enjoy the right to health. The Commission
pointed out that many
people seem not to be aware that they have a duty to protect and care for
children and vulnerable people within
the society.
- The
state of health in Uganda is still among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa.
The infant mortality rate is estimated at 97/1,000 live births, the child
mortality rate at 147/1,000 live births and the maternal
mortality rate at
506/100,000 live births (UDHS 1995). In Uganda, 38.3 per cent of children
are stunted, 25.5 per cent are underweight
and 5.3 per cent
are wasted.
- The
underlying causes of the above health problems are socioeconomic in nature and
cut across different sectors. Poverty and the
high illiteracy rate (about 54
per cent among females) influence the health-seeking behaviour, utilization of
available services/information
and, above all, affect the levels of
morbidity/mortality and malnutrition.
- The
health targets set by Government are outlined in paragraph 93 above.
1. Health-care delivery system
- The
availability of health-care services and their quality vary dramatically among
different parts of the country. Addressing this
imbalance is a key priority and
needs to be combined with a general improvement in service quality. The
health-care service delivery
system has been restructured and decentralized.
The MoH headquarters has been restructured to enable it respond effectively to
the
challenges of a decentralized system. The introduction of health
subdistricts has improved supervision and utilization of lower-level
facilities.
The policy encourages strengthening of partnership between NGOs, Government and
the private sector. The responsibility
for service delivery in districts is
vested in the local authorities. In many districts, ownership and
accountability of the health
services have not yet been taken up. Management
capacity in a number of districts is still low and requires strengthening. The
framework of cooperation between Government and the private sector needs to be
formalized.
The Health Sector Strategic Plan
- The
Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) is a core component of PEAP. The
development objective of the HSSP is to contribute to national
economic growth
and social development through reduction of the causes of ill-health and
premature deaths and removal of inequalities.
The HSSP has five major
outputs: (i) implementing the Uganda National Minimum Health Care Package
(UNMHCP); (ii) strengthening
the health-care delivery system; (iii)
operationalizing a strengthened legal and regulatory framework; (iv) providing
an integrated
support system; and (v) strengthening the management system.
- Only
a third of the established positions are staffed by qualified health workers.
It is projected that 75 per cent of established
positions will be filled.
Districts have been provided with funds for recruitment of personnel. Some of
the issues that need to
be addressed include: equitable distribution of health
workers throughout the country; review of remuneration of workers; payroll
management; better management and accountability.
Integrated support system
- Many
particular problems had been dealt with in isolation from other primary
health-care problems through vertical programmes. The
effective use of scarce
resources would be improved if these overlapping programmes integrated their
service delivery. An integrated
support system, which covers human resources
for health, health-care financing, health infrastructure, and procurement and
control
of drugs and supplies, is being implemented. The system aims at
improving access by the poor to health care through: improving
quality through
human resource development; providing an efficient drug supply system; reducing
walking distance to a health service
point; and reducing cost through
elaboration of appropriate health financing mechanisms, with protection of the
poor.
Budgetary allocations
- The
current per capita health expenditure is US$ 12, of which Government and
donors contribute US$ 5. This level of expenditure is
far below the amount
required to provide the minimum package. Over the last five years, government
budgetary allocations to the
sector increased from 2 to 9 per cent. Government
plans to increase funding of PHC by 27 per cent per annum. Development
partners
have agreed to support the sector through the HSSP. However,
absorption capacity in districts is still low mainly because of inadequate
human
resources for health and weak management. Implementation of a
“pro-poor” userfee charges and strengthening capacity
for proper
accountability are the other challenges that need to be addressed.
Table 7
Analysis of health sector expenditure
1995/96-1998/99 (billion shillings)
|
|
1996/97
|
1997/98
|
1998/99
|
|
Budget
|
Actual
|
Budget
|
Actual
|
Budget
|
Actual
|
Budget
|
Total GoU expenditure
|
473.6
|
558.0
|
597.1
|
675.2
|
647.8
|
775.7
|
843.4
|
Total health expenditure
|
32.9
|
34.57
|
35.69
|
41.17
|
51.45
|
50.58
|
54.53
|
of which:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PHC (shillings)
|
12.8
|
13.51
|
7.2
|
8.32
|
14.5
|
14.28
|
25.33
|
PHC (%)
|
|
39.0
|
|
20.2
|
|
28.2
|
46.4
|
Total GoU domestic development
|
64.5
|
73.9
|
99.07
|
123.2
|
107.1
|
107.1
|
152.2
|
Total health domestic development
|
6.37
|
6.05
|
9.12
|
10.91
|
7.77
|
7.84
|
12.55
|
Source: Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
- The
percentage of households within walking distance of a health facility ranges
from 9 per cent in Kitgum district to 100 per cent
in Kampala
district. There is a massive backlog of dilapidated infrastructure, which
compromises the efficiency of service delivery.
The health subdistrict
strategy is expected to improve geographical access to essential referral
services, and in particular the
management of obstetric emergencies. In order
to reduce walking distances to health units, Government plans to
rehabilitate/build
at least one health unit per parish. The Health
Infrastructure Development Plan is being prepared.
- Government
has set up a Drug Management Task Force, which has reviewed all aspects of drug
policy and management. A draft national
drug policy has been produced and the
National Drug Authority Act has been reviewed. Government has taken a decision
to partially
privatize the National Medical Stores. There is need to harmonize
procurement, control and stock management at all levels, including
health-unit
level. A demand-driven approach to drug distribution will be adopted, where
users will be involved through health unit
management committees to determine
and provide for their own needs.
2. Measures taken to develop primary health care and diminish
infant and child mortality
- The
status of early childhood survival and nutrition (ECSN) in Uganda is still poor.
Death rates among children are still high, with
the probability of death before
5 at 14.3 per cent. Moreover, these deaths are mainly due to preventable causes
such as malaria,
pneumonia, diarrhoea and malnutrition. The level of stunting
among children under 5 is one of the highest in Africa. Nearly 40
per
cent of children below 4 are stunted reflecting chronic malnutrition, which is
17 times the level expected in a healthy, well-nourished
population
(Dr. Sempangi, 1999).
- The
Ministry of Health has spearheaded interventions in ECSN. Interventions in the
health sector that are concerned with early childhood
include: interventions to
reduce infant and child mortality; nutrition programmes targeting children;
immunization of children against
six major killer diseases (see figure 4 below);
control of major diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, intestinal worms, chest
infections
and diarrhoea; promoting positive health behaviours among parents;
improving sanitation and promoting use of safe drinking water;
providing
curative and preventive health services as a primary healthcare focus; and
implementation of the minimum health-care package.
- Some
of the constraints and challenges to ECSN are: declining national immunization
coverage from 80 per cent in the mid-1990s to
about 50 per cent now; high levels
of malnutrition despite relatively good food production; emerging and
re-emerging communicable
diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cholera, dysentery and
tuberculosis; and the low literacy rate in the population, particularly among
women.
Access to medical assistance and health care
- Nevertheless,
there are still a number of challenges. Access to quality health care is still
poor. IMR (97/1,000), U5MR (147/1,000),
MMR (506/100,000) are still high and
antenatal care attendance is low. The HIV prevalence rate is still high (about
9.5 per cent);
teenage pregnancy and illegal abortions are still common.
Immunization coverage is low and has shown a declining trend over the
last three
years. Figure 4 shows that the trend in immunization declined between 1996 and
2000, except for polio because of the
mass campaign. There is high malaria
morbidity and mortality, high incidence of diarrhoeal diseases and acute
respiratory infections
and regular measles outbreaks. The nutritional status of
children is still poor: stunting and wasting stands at 28 and 5 per cent
respectively, while 23 per cent and 50 per cent of children are underweight and
have inadequate vitamin A intake respectively. The
percentage of mothers who
received antenatal care from trained staff (doctors, nurses, midwives) declined
from 80 per cent in 1996
to 69 per cent in 2000 (UBOS,
2000).
Integrated management of childhood illnesses
(IMCI)
- The
general objective of IMCI in Uganda is to improve the quality of care provided
to children under 5 years of age. The objectives
of IMCI in Uganda are to:
improve the performance of health workers in IMCI; improve the case management
of children seen at firstlevel
health facilities; strengthen the district
capacity for implementation of IMCI; strengthen the central-level capacity for
implementation
of IMCI; improve the availability of drugs and supplies needed
for IMCI; improve facility support for IMCI.
- Other
general measures being implemented include: improving quality of and
accessibility of health services; integration of service
delivery to minimize
duplications and overlaps; improving information, education and communication on
health; conducting research
on health status at household levels; monitoring and
evaluating of progress in health status relating to children; improving safe
water and sanitation through community mobilization and development of water
supply in rural areas and small towns.
Measures adopted to ensure a universal immunization
system
- Improvements
in immunization rates in the early 1980s succeeded in removing measles from its
position as the single largest cause
of infant and child deaths in Uganda.
Neonatal tetanus, however, still remains a serious problem (6 deaths per 1,000
live births)
because
vaccination coverage has been low. Immunization coverage for DPT3, measles
and OPV has been declining since 1996. Immunization against
the six killer
diseases needs to be improved upon if the progress made in the last 10 years is
to be sustained.
Table 8
National immunization rates against major diseases
(%)
|
|
1997/981
|
1998/992
|
BCG vaccine against TB
|
102
|
88
|
69
|
Diphtheria
|
72
|
61
|
46
|
Polio
|
71
|
62
|
47
|
Measles
|
70
|
64
|
49
|
Tetanus shots among pregnant women
|
58
|
48
|
38
|
Source: MoH, UNICEF.
1 Coverage of 40 districts.
2 Coverage of 26 districts.
Measures taken to combat disease and
malnutrition
- Interventions
in the Health Sector Strategic Plan that aim at improving the status of ECSN
include: emphasizing promotive, preventive
and essential curative health care
(PHC); promoting breastfeeding and good weaning practices; sensitization and
counselling for good
parenting; promoting simple hygiene starting with the
family to ensure a safe environment; and growing and providing nutritious foods
for expectant mothers. A multisectoral Early Childhood and Nutrition Project is
currently being implemented with the main focus
on attitudes, practice and
behaviour change in matters of early childhood.
- A
number of obstacles still hinder children’s access to primary health-care
services. These include: poverty; uneven geographical
distribution of health
units; limited knowledge of the population of preventive measures; negative
cultural practices and beliefs
concerning health services and treatment of
diseases; distance; cost of care; inadequate supply of drugs and logistics; poor
staffing
levels in rural health units; less qualified staff in rural areas;
conflict situation; attitudes of care providers; ignorance and
lack of awareness
among the community.
Most common diseases and their impact on
children
- According
to the 1995 Burden of Disease Study in Uganda, about 75 per cent of life years
lost are due to premature deaths caused by
10 well-known preventable
diseases.
Table 9
Major causes of morbidity and mortality in Uganda by
age group
|
Under 5
|
Over 5
|
All ages
|
|
Morbidity
|
Mortality
|
Morbidity
|
Mortality
|
Morbidity
|
Mortality
|
Malaria
|
25.4
|
25.8
|
26.3
|
19.2
|
19.2
|
22.8
|
Acute respiratory infections
|
26.5
|
14.7
|
23.4
|
7.8
|
18.2
|
11.6
|
Intestinal infestations
|
9.1
|
14.1
|
10.6
|
4.9
|
7.4
|
10.3
|
Diarrhoea
|
8.8
|
|
5.8
|
|
5.2
|
|
Trauma
|
5.5
|
|
7.7
|
5.5
|
5.0
|
3.5
|
Skin diseases
|
5.0
|
|
3.8
|
|
3.1
|
|
Eye diseases
|
4.7
|
|
3.8
|
|
3.1
|
|
Dental
|
3.6
|
|
1.8
|
|
1.8
|
|
Genital diseases
|
|
|
2.8
|
|
1.5
|
|
Anaemia
|
1.5
|
8.4
|
|
4.5
|
0.9
|
6.6
|
Malnutrition
|
2.3
|
3.1
|
|
|
|
|
Maternal complications
|
|
|
1.6
|
|
|
|
Source: Ministry of Health, HMIS, 1997.
- Malaria
causes about 25 per cent of morbidity among children aged 5 years and below.
Malaria is also the leading cause of anaemia
in pregnancy. Malaria infection
leads to high rates of spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, low birthweight and
premature deliveries.
Low levels of awareness, poor service availability and
lack of resources at the household level explain part of the increasing impact
of malaria in Uganda. Other factors include the spreading resistance, which
persists due to lack of safer and cheaper drugs, poor
vector control and poor
case management.
- Acute
and chronic respiratory tract infections are major causes of morbidity for
children aged below 5 and a cause of mortality for
infants. The MoH has
introduced the IMCI strategy to reduce the disease burden due to this
condition.
- Diarrhoea
is a major cause of mortality and morbidity among children aged below 5.
Diarrhoea is most common at the time of weaning
children, and as they start to
become more mobile. The Control of Diarrhoeal Diseases Programme in the MoH
started off by trying
to reduce morbidity from diarrhoea through the use of oral
rehydration salts (ORS), and is now moving on to address the root causes
of the
problem, which include poor water supply, sanitation and hygiene. IMCI is
intended to reduce the disease burden.
Malnutrition, and lack of clean drinking water
- According
to the 1995 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 1995, 38.3 per cent of children
in Uganda are stunted, 25.5 per cent are
underweight and 5.3 per cent are
wasted. The following are the underlying causes: the high incidence of low
birthweight; the fact
that 55 per cent of households consume less than
80 per cent of the daily recommended energy intake; poor weaning practices and
care
when the baby is between 6 and 18 months old; the low level of energy
intake and inadequate knowledge concerning the nutrition-disease
cycle. The
high level of malnutrition, 38.3 per cent, is one of the highest levels in
Africa. Specific problems of malnutrition
result in the incidence of goitre,
vitamin A deficiency and nutritional anaemia at levels that require remedial
action. Maternal
malnutrition causes 19 per cent of “reproductive
wastage” (abortions, neonatal deaths and stillbirths) and low birthweights
in a further 20 per cent of new babies.
- To
promote household food security and improve the nutritional status of the
population with a focus on young children and pregnant
and lactating mothers, a
food and nutrition programme has been developed with the following specific
policy objectives: promotion
of breastfeeding and optimum utilization of
locally available foods, including weaning foods; rehabilitation and
strengthening of
the existing nutrition units; setting up new nutrition units in
each health subdistrict where they do not exist; formulating and
widely using
nutrition education guidelines with a special focus on feeding young children,
pregnant and lactating mothers and other
groups with special needs; establishing
effective multisectoral collaboration between the relevant organizations to
promote food
security and nutrition at household level; developing and
maintaining an effective nutrition surveillance and monitoring system;
strengthening the National Nutrition Centre for service, training and research;
developing and promoting appropriate programmes for
the speedy control or
elimination of micronutrient deficiencies, especially iron, vitamin A and iodine
deficiency; strengthening
the activities of the National Food and Nutrition
Council and district capacity for community nutrition improvement; and promoting
gender-sensitive operational and applied research in food and
nutrition.
Perinatal and maternal morbidity/mortality
- The
neonatal death rate in Uganda is estimated at 41/1,000 live births.
Abortion-related deaths account for 30 per cent of all maternal
deaths in
Uganda. The birth rate is also high. All these factors are related to poor
access to antenatal, delivery and post-natal
care. In fact, a trained and
skilled health worker at delivery attends to only 38 per cent of mothers in
Uganda. Thirtyfive per
cent of women deliver unattended to at home, and
traditional birth attendants attend to 15 per cent. The main causes of maternal
mortality in Uganda are haemorrhage,
infections (sepsis), pre-eclampsia and eclampsia; obstructed labour and
abortions. The maternal mortality risk is compounded by high
levels of
HIV/AIDS, malaria, anaemia, malnutrition, high fertility levels, poor child
spacing, poverty and low literacy rates among
women.
- The
target is to reduce maternal mortality to half the 1990 level by the year 2000
and to reduce maternal morbidity substantially;
to reduce the perinatal and
neonatal mortality rates by 30 to 40 per cent from 1990 levels; and to
improve newborn health substantially.
- Interventions
being implemented to ensure safe motherhood include: providing family planning
services such as information and services
to plan the timing, number and spacing
of pregnancies; providing antenatal care to prevent complications where possible
and ensure
that pregnancy complications are detected early and treated
appropriately; training and equipping birth attendants (with mother kits)
to
ensure clean and safe delivery and ensure that all women have access to basic
maternity care during delivery; and providing essential
obstetric care. It is
estimated that about 15 per cent of all normal pregnancies end up with
complications, hence the need to always
be prepared.
3. Campaigns, programmes, services, strategies and other
mechanisms
to support child health and nutrition
- Government
and other stakeholders have been implementing health-promoting services such as
breastfeeding, nutrition programmes, health
education, increasing access to safe
water and sanitation, safe motherhood and school health programmes. The health
promotion programmes
implemented include immunization, salt iodization, vitamin
A supplementation and diarrhoeal disease control. Curative services provided
are the IMCI package and adolescent health and development. Other actions taken
include provision of medical rehabilitation services,
corrective surgery for
disabled children, and establishment of the National Immunization Days aimed at
the eradication of polio in
the country.
- Government,
in collaboration with development partners, have completed the development of a
10-year Health Policy and a 5-year Health
Sector Strategic Plan. It is the
implementation strategy for the 1999 Health Policy and the health component of
the Poverty Eradication
Action Plan (PEAP). The plan has prioritized areas of
action, set targets and defined organization and management approaches for
the health sector over the plan period 2000/01-2004/05 and is based on the MTEF,
donor and other funding projections. One intervention
is the National Minimum
Health Care Package, which aims at addressing the major causes of the burden of
disease in Uganda. The components
are: prevention and control of communicable
diseases, especially malaria, STD/HIV and TB; integrated management of childhood
illness;
sexual and reproductive health (antenatal care and delivery, family
planning, and adolescent health).
- The
Programme for Enhancing Adolescent Reproductive Life aims at creating a more
conducive environment and providing adolescents with
appropriate reproductive
health counselling services.
HIV/AIDS
- Government,
through the Uganda AIDS Commission, has developed a five-year national strategic
framework for HIV/AIDS activities in
Uganda 2000/01-2005/06 with the following
three goals: reduction of HIV prevalence by 25 per cent by the year 2005/06;
mitigation
of health and socio-economic effects of HIV/AIDS at individual,
household and community levels; and strengthening the national capacity
to
respond to the epidemic.
- It
is estimated that about 9.5 per cent of the country’s population of 21
million are infected with HIV. Of the estimated 2
million people infected with
HIV, about a quarter are women of childbearing age (15-49). About 1.1 million
children (below 15) have
lost one or both parents to AIDS. The HIV infection
rate also varies significantly with age. HIV prevalence is very low between
ages 0-5 and 5-14, but begins to rise in the age group 15-19, particularly among
girls. Young people’s increased vulnerability
to HIV infection is
attributed to the fact that a number of them initiate sex early (15.6 years for
girls and 17.6 years for boys),
and with older partners. Most of the sexual
encounters are without the benefit of consistent and correct condom use. Rape
and defilement
are becoming common though most cases go unreported. Young women
aged 15-24 are at a higher risk of HIV infection than men. Overall,
about
54 per cent of the reported AIDS cases are females. AIDS is the
fourth leading cause of death among children under 5 and is
expected to
increase the mortality rate significantly. Mothertochild transmission of HIV is
responsible for the HIV prevalence among
children. About 15 per cent of the
children fed on breastmilk of infected mothers acquire the virus
(UAC, 1999).
- HIV
prevalence amongst women attending antenatal clinics in selected sites has
declined from 1992 till 1996 when the rates stabilized
at about 10 per cent.
Data from sentinel sites indicate that the decline is particularly pronounced
among urban pregnant women aged
15-19, followed by women aged 20-24. Studies on
knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices
conducted by the Ministry of Health also indicate an increase in the age at
first sex, a reduction in number of casual sexual partners,
and an increase in
general condom use, especially between casual sexual partners.
Fig. 7. Sero-prevalence rates (%) among antenatal clinic
attenders, 1989-1998 (Source: A CP/MoH surveillance report, 1999)
|
- The
predisposing factors include: inadequate access to relevant information and
education on the dynamics of HIV infection and prevention;
inadequate life and
negotiation skills; poverty; negative cultural practices such as widow
inheritance, polygamy, and female genital
mutilation; consumption of alcohol and
other intoxicants leading to irresponsible and/or unprotected sex; child abuse;
extensive
sexual network; civil strife and armed conflict and war in parts of
the country.
- The
HIV/AIDS problem has clear adverse implications for the attainment of national
goals for socio-economic development. For some
sectors, HIV/AIDS threatens to
erode the achievements already made. At the individual level, the failure to
access prompt treatment
for opportunistic infections prevents affected persons
from full participation in social and economic activities.
B. Standard of living
- Government
identified poverty as the main constraint to development and the improvement of
the quality of life of the population in
general and the vulnerable groups such
as children in particular as a priority. To ensure that every Ugandan has
access to the basic
necessities, Government, with the support of development
partners, prepared and operationalized the Vision 2025 strategy and the
Poverty
Eradication Action Plan 19972017(PEAP).
Vision 2025
- Vision
2025 is a strategic framework for national development. It outlines the
national aspirations in the long term and provides
the context in which
shorter-term plans are drawn up. The national vision as stated in the document
is to have a Uganda which is
prosperous, harmonious and beautiful, popularly
stated as “Prosperous People, Harmonious Nation, Beautiful Country”.
The national aspirations for Uganda’s future development are to: (i)
attain high and sustainable economic growth in a competitive
global environment,
with export diversification and competitiveness as critical factors; (ii) evolve
a society that is healthy and
well educated, with a high quality of life; (iii)
achieve sustainable socio-economic development that ensures environmental
quality
and the resilience of the ecosystem; and (iv) establish fully
decentralized and democratic governance at all levels, and a peaceful
and secure
country with a united, patriotic and nationalistic people. The process of
developing Vision 2025 began in May 1997 and
was concluded in February
1999.
The Poverty Eradication Action Plan (1997-2017)
- The
PEAP is the principal guide for all developmental activities of the central and
local governments in the medium term. The PEAP
and Vision 2025 set out the
commitment of Government to reduce the incidence of absolute poverty from 44 per
cent to 10 per cent
and relative poverty to 30 per cent of the total population
by the year 2017. The priority social sector interventions of the PEAP
that
directly address the needs of children are primary education, primary health
care and rural water supply and sanitation. The
1997 PEAP is currently being
revised into the 2000 PEAP.
IX. EDUCATION, LEISURE AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
Government is committed to the fulfilment of the right to education and
learning of the children of Uganda. The national goal is
the achievement of
universal primary education (UPE) for all children of Uganda of ages 6-12 years
by the year 2003. Primary school
enrolment increased by over 2 million between
December 1996 and 1997 owing to the implementation of UPE. Enrolment in
primary schools
is presently at more than 6.2 million children. The current
(1999) high gross enrolment ratio of 116 per cent is due to over-aged
and
under-aged children drawn in by the UPE programme. The overall primary school
net enrolment ratio in 1997 was 87 per cent with
the ratio for males and
females being 92 and 83 per cent respectively. The net intake rate in 1998 was
92 per cent. There is no
significant difference in net intake rate by
gender although there are fewer females than males.
- Not
all children currently have access to primary and secondary education. The
categories of children who have difficulty accessing
education include: the
over-aged, street children, children from semi-nomadic populations, physically
and mentally challenged children,
juvenile offenders, children from
geographically marginalized populations, domestic workers, working children,
orphans, the girl
child and children affected by armed conflict such as
refugees, internally displaced children and the abducted. These children lack
basic educational provisions owing mainly to the unfavourable environment within
which they live. For example, in Gulu district
a total of 75 schools were
reported destroyed in 1997 alone, with over 215 primary teachers killed
(Barton & Mutiti, 1998).
In areas affected by conflict, people generally
lack sufficient money to pay school fees and other dues. Some children are
orphaned
as a result of the conflict and drop out of school owing to lack of
sponsorship.
- Although
Uganda has made significant progress in achieving education for all, especially
primary one enrolment, the survival rates
are still low. The proportion of
girls who drop out is higher than that of boys especially after primary five.
Girls also tend
to repeat less often than boys. Most of the children drop out
because they are not interested in study. Sickness, search for jobs/child
labour and inability to pay school fees are some of the main reasons for
dropping out.
- Some
parents and community members still consider education of girls a waste of time.
There is reluctance to pay for school costs
related to hygienic conditions.
Schools are particularly unable to protect girls from abuse. Teacher attitudes
and practices are
sometimes discriminatory. The curriculum was characterized by
stereotyped teaching methods and absence of relevant life skills or
guidance on
reproductive health. Children in rural areas walk long distances to reach
schools.
- Forty-six
per cent of primary schools have temporary sanitary facilities. Most primary
schools (97 per cent) do not have separate
facilities for children with
disabilities. Attempts are being made to create “girl-friendly”
school environments, e.g.
improving on sanitation, having trained senior women
teachers to act as counsellors, providing life skills training, etc. Other
challenges that require urgent attention include the high pupil-teacher ratio,
large class sizes, high pupil-textbook ratios, the
low percentage of trained
teachers and poor motivation of teachers.
Table 10
Status of sanitary facilities in primary schools
(%)
|
No
|
Yes
|
Unspecified
|
Facilities reserved for disabled
|
97
|
2
|
1
|
Flushing toilets
|
95
|
3
|
2
|
Separate flushing (m/f)
|
86
|
3
|
11
|
Teachers share block
|
71
|
28
|
1
|
Availability of water and soap
|
40
|
57
|
3
|
Separate teachers’ latrine
|
36
|
60
|
3
|
Blocks separate
|
35
|
63
|
1
|
Source: School mapping, 1999.
- Government
and development partners are implementing a number of strategies to ensure
access to and quality of education for the children
of Uganda as outlined
below.
Primary teacher development
- A
Teacher Development and Management System (TDMS) has been developed in a
participatory process involving a variety of stakeholders.
The plan aims at
improving the quality of instruction of primary and secondary school teachers
and ensures an equitable distribution
of teachers throughout the country. An
evaluation of TDMS is under way. Under the TDMS, a network of 18 core primary
teachers’
colleges and 539 coordinating centres have been established and
are providing: in-service teacher training for unqualified teachers;
continuous
professional development for trained teachers; financial management training for
head teachers; and, a number of outreach
activities of support to primary
schools in the country.
Primary school classroom construction programme
- The
National Classroom Construction Plan for the expansion of school facilities has
been developed and is being implemented. A total
of UShs 186 billion have
been allocated to decreasing the pupil-classroom ratio by 2003. By February
2000, 2,029 classrooms had
been completed, a performance level of 70 per cent.
A decentralized, community-based approach has been adopted as the main delivery
modality for classroom construction in the context of the Poverty Action Plan.
A total of 75,881 classrooms are required, of which
a deficit of 20,000 will
remain by the year 2003. There are two main challenges under this programme:
mobilizing UShs 150 billion
to put up the required number of classrooms by the
year 2003 and strengthening the capacity to supervise the project. There is
currently
no budget for teacher accommodation.
Provision of instructional materials
- A
plan for investment in and replacement of instructional materials is being
implemented. The aim is to maintain a ratio of one textbook
for every three
pupils for all four core subjects. Provision of UShs 33.7 billion has been made
for procurement of textbooks over
the plan period. The Ministry of Education
and Sports has procured textbooks for four core subjects in primary schools. By
February
2000, the pupil-textbook ratio was 1:7 and 1:5 for Science/Social
Studies and Maths/English respectively. In order to improve on
the performance
of this programme, a strategy for decentralized textbook procurement is
scheduled to begin from 2001/02. The main
challenge here is to obtain
resources for additional textbooks when the new curriculum is
implemented.
Primary curriculum
- Government
has developed a new primary school curriculum and has started phasing it in.
The Uganda Primary School Curriculum (Volume
1) was introduced in all primary
schools in January 2000 starting with primary 1 to 4. The other classes still
follow the 1990 syllabus.
The new syllabus has four core subjects; English,
Mathematics, Social Studies and Science. A total of 710,256 copies of the
syllabus
are required, of which 40,000 have been
produced. Volume 2 of the curriculum, with an additional six subjects, is
being developed. The MoES plans to systematically phase
in the six
subjects in the education system during 20012003. The main challenge is
the mobilization of the huge educational resource
requirements of
implementing both syllabuses.
Education of the girl child
- Government,
through the Ministry of Education and Sports, other line ministries, NGOs and
donors, has been active in implementing
initiatives in girls’ education.
Over 127 broad activities/interventions are currently devoted to improving the
education
and welfare of the girl child.
- Four
shortcomings were identified with regard to the implementation of activities
devoted to improving the education and welfare of
the girl child. These are:
little coordination among the players; the critical areas of sociocultural
constraints to girls’
education were not sufficiently tackled; access to
education by destitute and disabled children continues to cause concern; and
limited
access to gender-disaggregated data to effectively identify problems and
solutions.
- A
national strategy and plan of action for girls’ education has been
developed and was launched in June 2000, with support from
UNICEF. The overall
goal of the strategy is: “All girls in Uganda (including the destitute
and girls with disabilities) will
have full access to education opportunities
and will be supported by their families, schools, communities, Government and
the private
sector to participate fully in gender-balanced education programmes
in order to attain their maximum potential as equal and effective
citizens.” The strategy shall guide Government and other stakeholders in
removing the numerous barriers to education of the
girl child. The sub-goal
states as follows: “The social-psychological environment will be
conducive to the full participation
of all girls in education. The physical
environment countrywide in educational settings will be easily accessible to
persons, especially
girls, with disabilities.”
- Districts
with high dropout rates and low retention and pass rates for girls are
supported with grants of between UShs 0.5-1 million
through the Promotion
of Girls’ Education Scheme.
Education for children with special learning
needs
- Government
is implementing the Educational Assessment and Resource Services (EARS)
countrywide to support children with various impairments.
According to the UPE
policy, priority must be given to children with special needs. In 1998, there
were a total of 150,589 children
with physical or mental impairments who
were distributed as shown in the pie chart in figure 12. A working group on
special education
has been created within the framework of ESIP. The working
group is expected to develop policy guidelines for special needs education
by
June 2000. Assessment and identification of children with disabilities and
other special needs such as street children, traumatized children and
gifted/talented children is under way. The Commissioner, Special
Needs
Education/Counselling, Career Guidance is the coordinator of all the
activities.
Alternative strategies for provision of basic
education
- Three
specific alternative programmes with a flexible approach and curriculum are
worth mentioning: the Complementary Opportunity
for Primary Education (COPE),
the Alternative Basic Education for Karamoja (ABEK), and Basic Education for
Urban Poor Areas (BEUPA).
COPE targets children who have never attended school
or have dropped out of school before acquiring basic skills. Learning takes
place for between three and four hours. The programme is running in four
districts and is expected to extend to four more districts.
Current
beneficiaries of ABEK are children and adolescents in the nomadic society in
Karamoja region. The programme focuses on
simple numeric and literacy
skills.
Early childhood development
- About
5.7 million children (26.5 per cent) are aged 0-6. Three quarters of these
children live in rural areas. Whereas Government
does not have a policy on ECD,
several ministries and development partners have developed policies that cater
for some of the ECD
issues. Key sectoral interventions include: early
childhood survival and nutrition; early childhood care and protection; and early
childhood education and learning.
Early childhood care and protection
- Early
childhood care and protection (ECCP) is defined in this context to include:
proper feeding; providing clothing, shelter and
supervision; preventing and
attending to illness; engaging a child in interaction; providing a stimulating
and safe environment for
play and exploration; providing guidance, love,
affection, security and legal protection; enabling and developing self-esteem
and
self-confidence; and providing emotional support. Therefore, lack
of provision of these elements is tantamount to lack of care and
protection
for the child.
- Although
there is no uniform pattern of care, ECCP in Uganda is mainly provided at
household level. Mothers, grandmothers, older
children and neighbours care for
the children. Working mothers in urban centres do not have facilities in the
workplace to care
for their children. The practice has been for the mothers to
collect young girls from rural areas to care for their children. This
trend is changing due to the introduction of UPE. This has prompted working
mothers to employ maids to take their children to the
few day-care centres (ECD
Taskforce, 1997).
- The
ability of caregivers to provide adequate ECCP is limited. Some of the reasons
for this are that the resources available at the
household level for caregivers
are inadequate due to biting poverty in the country and the stress associated
with it, and that caregivers
lack the requisite skills, knowledge, physical
capacity, consistency and responsiveness to children’s needs. The quality
of
childcare and protection in Uganda is, therefore, characterized by poor
feeding practices; poor health-care practices; inadequate
household food; lack
of psychosocial stimulation; and child abuse, including defilement.
- Key
challenges in ECCD include: inadequate resource allocation by Government to
ECCD activities; poverty in households; high illiteracy
among parents; poor
childcare practices; and insecurity and armed conflict in some parts of the
country, which creates unfavourable
conditions for ECCD.
Early childhood education and learning
- Access
to ECCD education is very low in Uganda. Most of the 770 registered preprimary
schools are privately owned and located in
urban centres. Only about 2.6 per
cent of primary entrants attend some form of organized ECCD programme.
- While
Government became aware and concerned about the need for quality ECCD
in 1973, it is only recently that concrete action has
been taken in this
area. Since then, government response has been limited to gaining control of
the quality of pre-primary schools.
The Government White Paper on Education
contains ECCD policy. This has, however, not been fully implemented due to
lack of funds.
Some of the interventions include training of 454 ECCD
tutors by the Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo and training in education
of 3,272 ECCD providers. A few NGOs have been involved in providing ECE
services. Little has so far been achieved at the family
level.
- The
following challenges have been identified with regard to provision of quality
ECE: training institutions are mainly located in
urban centres; play and
instructional materials are inadequate; tuition for teachers and school fees for
pre-school are not affordable
by the majority of the population; understaffing
in most training institutions; inadequate community initiative; and poverty and
lack of awareness among parents regarding the importance of ECE.
- ECCD
is still a new concept to many people in Uganda, including policy makers and
planners. There is still no specific policy strategy
to guide and direct ECCD
interventions. There is a lack of data on ECCD issues; actors in ECCD are not
adequately coordinated and
conscious planning for ECCD at all levels is lacking.
Government has, therefore, established an ECCD technical forum to provide policy
and strategic guidelines, strengthen capacity for ECCD planning; promote
advocacy for ECCD and monitor and evaluate ECCD activities.
- There
has been a tremendous response from the donor community, mainly centred on
supporting learning in the form of the provision
of textbooks, teacher training
and classroom construction. The donors include the World Bank, the Department
for International Development
of the United Kingdom (DFID), UNICEF, USAID, the
Governments of the Netherlands and Ireland, the European Union (EU), the Danish
International Development Agency (DANIDA), the World Food Programme, Redd Barna
(Save the Children Norway) and the Adventist Development
Relief Agency (ADRA).
Despite the above interventions and achievements, there are still a number of
tasks to be undertaken and challenges
to be addressed. These include:
maintenance of TDMS operations, particularly the recruitment, deployment
(especially to remote
parts of the country) and training of teachers to meet the
current urgent teacher demand, and improvement in the conditions of service
of
teachers; establishing the Education Standards Agency; management of the
sectorwide approach; capacity-building at district level
(especially in
utilization of UPE funds, accountability, inspection and supervision);
information management for the education sector;
management and control of
private sector institutions and minimum quality standards; prioritizing ESIP
activities and the rolling
plan for the whole education sector; implementation
and monitoring of double shift and multigrade teaching; and development of an
ECE curriculum.
X. SPECIAL PROTECTION MEASURES
- Government
has instituted a number of policies, programmes and activities for the
protection of the rights of all children in Uganda.
Nevertheless, the
environment within which a number of children still live makes them vulnerable.
The most vulnerable groups of
children in Uganda are orphans, children with
disabilities; street children, the girl child, children in rural areas and poor
urban
areas, and children affected by armed conflict (refugees and internally
displaced children - most of them in temporary camps) and
the abducted. The
districts that are currently most affected by the influx of refugees or internal
displacement are Adjumani, Apac,
Arua, Bundibugyo, Gulu, Kabarole, Kasese,
Kitgum, Masindi and Moyo.
Orphans
- The
problem of orphans in Uganda is big. Nearly 2 million children have lost one or
both parents, mainly due to war and AIDS. Given
the high number of orphans and
the fact that many of the people killed in war or by AIDS are able-bodied people
who can engage in
productive activities, the capacity of extended families and
the community to cater for the orphans has been greatly diminished.
The
situation of insecurity in the north and parts of western Uganda and poverty
make it difficult to care for orphans. Government
is paying school fees for all
orphans in primary schools. In 1999, a total of 884,957 children were
registered in primary schools
as orphans. Of these, 312,807 had lost both
parents. The problem of orphans is too big for Government to handle alone. A
number
of NGOs are also involved in the care and protection of orphans.
Interventions include support to orphans’ education through
school fees
sponsorship or vocational and artisan training, and provision of basic needs
such as shelter, food and clothing.
Street children
- The
problem of street children is on the increase in spite of the high number of
NGOs working with street children, especially in
Kampala and other major urban
centres. No recent national study has been done on the problem. The last study
done on street children
showed that there were 3,800 of them in Uganda, of whom
810 were in Kampala alone. According to a follow-up study by an NGO working
with street children in Kampala, the number of street children in Kampala alone
is now estimated to be 2,000.
- In
the study, the children mentioned six main reasons for moving to the street:
mistreatment by relatives and step-parents at home;
lack of care at home
following the death of parents; failure to get employment in urban centres,
having moved from rural areas; poverty
in homes; being born on the streets; and
the search for adventure. The problems faced by street children include: drug
addiction/abuse
(mainly cannabis sativa, calta edylin, organic solvents and
inhalants); sexual exploitation of street girls; health problems such
as fever,
wounds, skin diseases and STDs; lack of shelter; harassment and victimization by
the police and local defence forces; lack
of food; fights; and pregnancy. The
children survive mainly by working in markets, begging and pick pocketing. The
street girls
depend on selected street boys for protection. The community view
street children as dangerous people and a burden to society.
- Over
70 NGOs are involved in addressing the problem of street children through:
counselling; drop-in-centre; street work; public
awareness and community
sensitization; provision of accommodation; recreational activities; vocational
skill development; resettlement;
and health facilities.
Sexual abuse and exploitation of children
- Few
studies have been conducted on the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in
Uganda especially in Kampala, Mukono, Masaka,
Mpigi and Lira districts.
Although no national statistics exist, the phenomenon is beginning to raise
concern with Government and
NGOs. According to the Uganda Demographic and
Health Survey 1995, 30.4 per cent of women (2049 years) had their first
sexual intercourse
by the age of 15. The median age at first marriage for women
(20-49 years) in Uganda is 17.5 years, while the median age at first
intercourse
is 16.1 years (UDHS, 1995). The main sources of information have been the mass
media, probation and welfare officers
and the police.
- Sexual
abuse has been reported from all districts in Uganda. Although children of all
ages are abused, most reports cite younger
children (4-15 years). A number of
defilement cases go unreported or are not concluded (withdrawn or mishandled).
According to
a survey conducted by FIDA in eight primary and eight secondary
schools covering four districts in 1997, 67 per cent and 54 per cent
of
girls in primary and secondary schools said they had never had sex. About two
thirds (63 per cent) of the students who had sex
(with or without their consent)
said they kept quiet about it. Reasons for not reporting include fear, shame,
and relationship to
offender. Primary school respondents were pupils from
primary 4 to 7, with an age range of 8 to 16, while the secondary
respondents
were girls in senior 1 to 6, with an age range
of 11 to 20. Categories of children most at risk are children
dwelling in slums,
children living in armed conflict areas, children from
poor families and street children.
- The
common places where children are sexually abused include homes (of abuser or
child), neighbourhoods, schools, places of entertainment,
war/conflict zones,
ceremonies, and places of custody. Abusers of children are adults of all ages
(19-85 years), with the highest
proportion being youths aged 18-30. Children
too defile fellow children. The abusers are mainly people known to the child,
such
as relatives, neighbours/friends, teachers and doctors. Other categories
of abusers include strangers, particularly abductors, clients
of child
prostitutes, bar/hotel owners, alcohol brewers/sellers.
- Quite
a high percentage of girls were defiled not only by people they trust by reason
of closeness and blood ties, but even those
with whom they enjoy a relationship
of trust. Offenders include boyfriends, stepfathers, uncles, brothers,
stepbrothers, teachers,
neighbours, houseboys, cousins, gatekeepers,
schoolmates, strangers, best friends, fathers, brothers-in-law and doctors
(FIDA, 1997).
- The
main factors contributing to child sexual abuse are: child left alone with
abuser; child sent on errand; child in care of child-minder
or teacher; children
found in risky environment such as streets, river paths, brewing/selling alcohol
and in entertainment spots.
Armed conflict and the HIV/AIDS scare have of late
been blamed for the increased rate of defilement. Other causes of child sexual
abuse include early marriages, poor enforcement of the laws on sexual offences,
experiments in sex by children, and orphanhood.
- Efforts
taken by Government, NGOs and other partners to prevent sexual exploitation and
promote the recovery of those who have been
abused include amendment of the
Penal Code (law on defilement) and law reform to bring the relevant laws into
line with the Constitution, CRC and the Children Statute. A number of NGOs have
undertaken advocacy, sensitization and counselling on the problem of sexual
abuse and exploitation. Other interventions undertaken include providing
vocational training and life skills, health service provision
and creation of a
child labour unit in the MGL&SD.
- As
a result of this collective effort, a number of achievements have been recorded.
These include: increased awareness by the community
of the problem and as a
result more crimes are now being reported to the police and LCs; more arrests of
violators; children and
families becoming more aware of the dangers of child
sexual abuse; reporting of early marriages (sometimes by children themselves);
and a successful network and collaboration between NGOs and Government. The
following NGOs have been key in tackling the problem
of child sexual
exploitation and abuse: Slum Aid Project, Reproductive Health Care Initiative,
Family Protection Unit of the Uganda
Police, Uganda Association of Women
Lawyers, Friends of Children Association, Uganda Muslim Supreme Council,
ANPPCAN, UCRNN, National
Association of Women’s Organization, African
Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, Uganda Youth
Development
Link, and Hope After Rape.
- Given
the causes and magnitude of sexual abuse and exploitation in Uganda, a
multisectoral approach is required, covering social,
economic, political,
cultural and health (physical and psychological) aspects of the population.
Interventions that can be undertaken
to address this problem should include:
more sensitization campaigns against these crimes; intensifying networking among
implementers;
conducting comprehensive research into the problem; providing
psychosocial support to defilement victims; empowering children through
skills
development; ensuring political will at all levels; improving the economic
well-being of the population; and carrying out
a comprehensive legal
reform.
Child labour
- No
comprehensive study has so far been done to establish the number of working
children in Uganda. However, it is still widely believed
that a large number of
children are subjected to hazardous work. They carry loads that are too heavy
for their age. Many children
are still employed in large agricultural farms to
minimize costs, in households as domestic servants, on commercial farms, fishing
and herding where they are subjected to abuse and exploitation. The minimum age
for employment is 16, though this is not strictly
followed.
Juvenile justice
- The
Uganda Prisons Service has taken action to implement the provision of the
Children Statute that require children to be kept separately
from adults.
According to the prisons headquarters, all persons admitted on remand found to
be below 18 years are sent back to court
to decide where the offender should be
kept. There are still some cases of unnecessary detention and juvenile
offenders being remanded
with adults. There are also cases of children
imprisoned with their mothers. Out of the prisons verified, 10 were found to
hold
40 babies with their mothers, as detailed in the table. Ten other prisons
were not verified.
Table 11. Number of babies held with their mothers, by
prison
|
No. of babies
|
Bushenyi Prison
|
7
|
Fort Portal Prison
|
7
|
Gulu Prison
|
7
|
Women Prison Luzira
|
7
|
Kakiika Prison
|
4
|
Masindi Prison
|
4
|
Jinja Main Prison
|
3
|
Mubuku Prison
|
3
|
Soroti Prison
|
3
|
Source: Prisons Headquarters, 2000.
- Children
are mainly charged with minor offences. Theft is the predominant offence
committed by children. Defilement constitutes
the major offence. Note that it
is difficult to know the exact magnitude of offences committed by children due
to the problem of
poor recordkeeping systems, especially at the village level.
However, the juvenile justice system in Uganda is “child friendly”
if effectively implemented. Consideration is given to children’s dignity
and human rights, especially in the family and children’s
court.
Practice, however, shows that there are still cases where children are deprived
of their liberty and held together with adults
due to limited facilities. A
survey conducted in 1998 by the MGL&SD in all the districts of Uganda
revealed that juvenile offenders
are handled in a number of ways. These include
being released on bond, sent to administrative prisons (i.e. mixed with adults
in
cells), set free and monitored in the community by LCs and probation staff,
tried in courts of law if charged with adults, committed
to remand homes,
released and handed over to parents, sent to the National Rehabilitation
Centre.
Government gazetted the FCC in all districts in April 1998. Although the
above structure has been established, most FCCs are not
functioning due to
unavailability of magistrates. Only 54 per cent of districts reported that the
LC courts sit frequently to hear
children’s cases (see figure 14).
- Professionals
working in the juvenile justice system have been trained or sensitized on the
provisions of the CRC. These include
the SCAs (although over 50 per cent lost
their posts after local elections), police personnel, magistrates, prison
wardens and community
development assistants. A significant improvement in
collaboration between the key actors, the probation office, the police and
the
courts has been realized in areas where there have been focused project
interventions.
- Some
of the obstacles to the implementation of the juvenile justice reforms include:
inadequate funding; understaffing (for example,
46 per cent of the districts
reported that the probation and welfare officers do not have capacity to
supervise all courts in the
district); lack
of awareness by LCs; generally poor community transport and communications;
negative attitudes of the communities and other actors
in regard to children in
conflict with the law and poor record-keeping, which generally makes
followup and monitoring difficult.
Children affected by armed conflict
- Children
continue to be victims of the armed conflict in the country. Many people have
been forced by the armed conflict to leave
their home villages and stay
somewhere else as displaced persons. It is difficult to provide the number of
refugees and internally
displaced persons (IDPs) because of the difficulties
involved in registering them. The main cause of internal displacement has been
the periodic raids by the LRA, ADF, the Karimajong cattle raiders, and remnants
of the West Nile Bank Front. Rural areas are the
most affected by the
displacement. A number of the IDPs moved to camps guarded by government
soldiers, while others moved and settled
in the more peaceful areas.
- In
response to this new area of abuse, Government, external support agencies and
NGOs have put in place a psychosocial support programme
to care for these
children and their families, as described
earlier.
List of references
- Barton,
T. & Mutiti, A. (1998). Northern Uganda Psychosocial Needs
Assessment. Kampala: Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social
Development.
- Enon
Dr. Eight is too late.
- Dr.
Sempangi, K. (September 1999). Early Childhood Development Advocacy Strategy
in Uganda. A paper presented at the International Early Childhood Care and
Development Conference, Kampala: National Council for Children.
- FIDA
(1997). Baseline survey report on Girl Child Sexual Abuse. Kampala:
FIDA(U)/UNICEF.
- FOCA
(June 1999). Baseline Survey Report on Street Children in Kampala. A
Survey report. Kampala: Friends of Children Association.
- GoU
(1995) Construction of the Republic of Uganda.
- GoU
(Local Government Act 1997).
- GoU
(2000) Revised Poverty Eradication Action Plan.
- GoU
(January 1998). Uganda’s Report and Position on Child Labour.
Kampala: Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
- GoU/UNICEF
(1998). Country Programme Progress Report 1998. Kampala: Government of
Uganda - UNICEF Country Programme 1995-2000.
- GoU/UNICEF
(November 1999). Summary report on the Government of Uganda/UNICEF Country
Programme 2001-2005 Strategy Meeting. Kampala: UNICEF.
- MFPEP
(1999). Uganda Participatory Poverty Assessment. Key findings.
Kampala: Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
- MFPED
(February 1999). Vision 2025: A strategic framework for national
development. Kampala: Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic
Development.
- MGL&SD
(1998). Draft Policy and Practice Guidelines for Street Children
Practitioners in Uganda. Kampala: Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social
Development.
- MGL&SD
(March 1999). A Situation Analysis of Child Care and Protection Issues in
Relation to District Authorities. A Situation Analysis Report. Kampala:
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
- MGL&SD
(April 1999). Report on the Review of Literature of Youth Policies and
Programmes in Uganda. Kampala: GoU/UNICEF.
- MoES
(1999). National Strategy for Girls’ Education in Uganda.
Kampala: Ministry of Education and Sports.
- MoES
(March 2000). Third ESIP Review. Six monthly report. Kampala:
Ministry of Education and Sports.
- MoES
(November 1999). Education for All (EFA) 2000 Assessment. An Assessment
report. Kampala: Ministry of Education and Sports.
- NCC
(June 1999). Child Rights Monitoring Indicators. Kampala: National
Council for Children.
- NCC
(November 1999). Commitment to Children by end of the Century. A report on the
implementation of the Uganda National Programme
of Action for Children (UNPAC)
1990/91 to June 1998. Kampala: National Council for Children.
- NCC
(February 1999). Uganda National Programme of Action for Children Review and
Update. Kampala: National Council for Children.
- NCC
(April 1999). Regional Consensus Conference for Central Region. A
workshop report. Kampala: National Council for Children.
- NCC
(May 1999). District Plans of Action for Children Review Meeting for the
Districts of Mbale, Iganga, Kapchorwa and Pallisa. A workshop report.
Kampala: National Council for Children.
- NCC
(May 1999). District Plans of Action for Children Review Meeting for the
Districts of Soroti, Lira, Kumi and Kotido. A workshop report. Kampala:
National Council for Children.
- UBOS
(July 1999). 1999 Statistical Abstract. Entebbe: Uganda Bureau of
Statistics.
- UDHS
(August 1996). Demographic and Health Survey 1995. Entebbe: Statistics
Department, Ministry of Finance and Economic
Planning.
Statistical annexes
I. COUNTRY ECONOMIC INDICATORS
|
Year
|
1970
|
1975
|
1980
|
1985
|
1990
|
1995
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
Population growth rate
|
3.4
|
2.6
|
2.3
|
2.0
|
2.9
|
2.6
|
2.7
|
2.8
|
2.6
|
|
GDP growth rate (%)
|
1.7
|
-5.1
|
-5.2
|
-1.9
|
6.4
|
10.5
|
8.1
|
5.2
|
5.5
|
5.1
|
Per capita GDP (US$)
|
225
|
199
|
136
|
187
|
200
|
270
|
285
|
290
|
296
|
|
Debt-export ratio (%)
|
51.1
|
83.9
|
212.3
|
305.3
|
1 084.6
|
638.0
|
575.0
|
599.7
|
733.9
|
|
Fixed investment (million US$)
|
295.0
|
169.0
|
104.0
|
260.2
|
661.4
|
768.2
|
764.5
|
904.0
|
1 016.6
|
|
Exports (million US$)
|
297
|
308
|
415
|
424
|
246
|
560
|
639
|
619
|
496
|
450
|
GDP (million US$)
|
2 220
|
2 428
|
2 195
|
2 628
|
4 213
|
4 365
|
4 719
|
4 967
|
5 240
|
|
Population (million)
|
9.40
|
10.84
|
12.30
|
13.79
|
16.21
|
18.20
|
19.1
|
19.6
|
20.2
|
21.6
|
Total external debt (million US$)
|
152
|
238
|
568
|
1 030
|
2 663
|
3 573
|
3 674
|
3 712
|
3 640
|
|
Current account balance (million US$)
|
20.3
|
-56.1
|
-83.2
|
-25.0
|
-276.4
|
-332.3
|
-250.6
|
-252.3
|
-445.0
|
|
Share of agriculture in GDP (%)
|
48.5
|
66.6
|
70.5
|
50.5
|
53.8
|
45.7
|
44.1
|
43.3
|
42.9
|
|
Average inflation rate (%)
|
...
|
...
|
...
|
156
|
33.1
|
8.6
|
7.2
|
7.0
|
8.0
|
|
Average exchange rate: U Sh to US$
|
...
|
...
|
...
|
...
|
698.0
|
968.9
|
1 046.1
|
1 083
|
1 250
|
|
Source: Vision 2025.
II. HEALTH SECTOR
A. Major causes of mortality by age group, 1995
|
Percentage mortality rate
|
Under 5 years
|
5 years and above
|
All age groups
|
Malaria
|
25.8
|
19.2
|
22.8
|
Anaemia
|
8.4
|
4.5
|
6.6
|
Malnutrition
|
3.1
|
|
|
Respiratory infection
|
14.7
|
7.8
|
11.6
|
Measles
|
12.1
|
2.0
|
7.5
|
Pneumonia
|
12.4
|
4.9
|
9.2
|
HIV/AIDS
|
|
13.8
|
7.3
|
Meningitis
|
2.1
|
5.1
|
3.4
|
Tuberculosis
|
|
4.1
|
2.9
|
Tetanus
|
2.8
|
|
|
Source: Ministry of Health, HMIS, 1997.
B. Percentage of women aged 15-19 years of age who have
ever
borne a child, and received antenatal and delivery care
|
No. of women
|
Began child-bearing (%)
|
Antenatal care
|
%
|
Delivery assistance (%)
|
Place of delivery
|
%
|
15
|
290
|
7.7
|
Doctor
|
10
|
4
|
Health facility
|
35
|
16
|
340
|
22.1
|
Nurse/Midwife
|
82
|
34
|
Home
|
64
|
17
|
281
|
43.3
|
No one
|
8
|
12
|
|
|
18
|
391
|
64.7
|
Relative
|
-
|
35
|
|
|
19
|
304
|
70.8
|
TBA
|
-
|
15
|
|
|
Source: UDHS, 1995.
TBA - Traditional birth attendants.
C. Mortality rates per 1,000 population disaggregated by
age
group and sex
|
Male
|
Female
|
15-19
|
3
|
4
|
20-24
|
5
|
7
|
25-29
|
11
|
8
|
30-34
|
15
|
11
|
35-39
|
13
|
10
|
40-44
|
18
|
10
|
45-49
|
19
|
15
|
Source: Statistics Department, UDHS: 137, 1995.
D. Cumulative reported AIDS cases by year
|
|
1995
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
Number of AIDS cases
|
46 120
|
48 312
|
51 344
|
53 306
|
54 712
|
Source: STD/AIDS Control Programme, March 1999.
Note: As of 31 December 1998, a cumulative total of 54,712 AIDS
cases had been reported to the Surveillance Unit of the STD/AIDS Control
Programme. 50,757 (92.8%) were adults and 3,955 (7.2%) were children aged 12
years and below.
III. EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS
A. Enrolment and GER of pupils in primary schools by sex,
1995-1998
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
GER (%)
|
M
|
F
|
T
|
1995
|
1 587 216
|
1 325 257
|
2 912 473
|
86
|
72
|
72
|
1996
|
1 647 742
|
1 420 883
|
3 068 625
|
86
|
74
|
80
|
1997
|
2 855 093
|
2 315 813
|
5 170 886
|
137
|
112
|
124
|
1998
|
2 868 564
|
2 595 289
|
5 591 000
|
129
|
114
|
122
|
1999
|
3 301 888
|
2 986 351
|
6 288 239
|
127
|
107
|
116
|
Source: Education Statistical Abstract, 1998 and school mapping
census.
B. Selected indicators for TDMS
|
Original target
|
Status (Feb 2000)
|
Target (Dec 2000)
|
Core PTCs established and operating
|
10
|
18
|
18
|
Coordinating centre established and operating
|
250
|
539
|
539
|
In-service training enrolment
|
|
|
|
Upgrading of untrained teachers
|
5 000
|
1 388
|
13 186
|
Head teacher training
|
8 000
|
17 451
|
|
In-service training completions
|
|
|
|
Upgrading of untrained teachers (3-year course)
|
5 000
|
2 023
|
3 023
|
Head teacher training (1-year course)
|
4 152
|
3 863
|
|
Education managers (PTCs, districts)
|
330
|
108
|
330
|
Source: Third ESIP Review, MoES.
C. Availability of primary schools by region
|
Central region (excluding
Kampala)
|
Eastern region
|
Northern region
|
Western region
|
Uganda
|
Number of schools
|
392
|
2 502
|
1 849
|
3 197
|
10 940
|
Status (%)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Permanent
|
49%
|
44%
|
38%
|
27%
|
40%
|
Not permanent
|
51%
|
56%
|
62%
|
73%
|
60%
|
With safe water
|
48%
|
54%
|
64%
|
46%
|
52%
|
With sanitation
|
90%
|
92%
|
92%
|
98%
|
93%
|
Number of classrooms
|
19 814
|
16 022
|
13 664
|
21 518
|
71 018
|
Source: UBOS, 1997.
D. Percentage of primary schoolteachers having the
required
academic qualifications, 1998
|
With academic qualification
|
Certified to teach
|
Total
|
Male
|
65 346
|
55.5%
|
52 309
|
44.5%
|
117 655
|
Female
|
33 163
|
54.0%
|
28 275
|
46.0%
|
61 438
|
Total
|
98 509
|
55%
|
80 584
|
45%
|
179 093
|
Source: Educational Statistical Abstracts.
E. Enrolment by education levels (sex distribution
percentages)
|
1993
|
1994
|
1995
|
1996
|
1997
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
Primary
|
57
|
43
|
54
|
46
|
55
|
45
|
54
|
46
|
55
|
45
|
Secondary
|
61
|
39
|
61
|
39
|
62
|
38
|
61
|
39
|
|
|
University
|
71
|
29
|
66
|
34
|
65
|
35
|
66
|
34
|
65
|
35
|
Source: Planning Department, MoES, 1997.
F. Enrolment by age 1998
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
5 or less
|
115 744
|
110 702
|
226 446
|
6-12
|
2 150 939
|
1 958 996
|
4 109 935
|
13-16
|
525 740
|
385 291
|
911 031
|
17 and above
|
20 664
|
8 133
|
28 797
|
Total
|
2 813 087
|
2 463 122
|
5 276 209
|
Source: Education Census 1998, MoES.
G. Enrolment: P7 leavers and S1 enrolment
|
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
P7
|
173 996
|
200 271
|
242 816
|
250 720
|
S1
|
68 333
|
79 131
|
93 684
|
110 000
|
Enrolment (%)
|
61%
|
55%
|
53%
|
55%
|
Source: Education Planning Department, MoES.
H. Age specific enrolment rates among males and females
aged
6-12 years by region
|
Eastern
|
Central
|
Western
|
Northern
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
6
|
127 (48%)
|
133 (54%)
|
113 (53%)
|
126 (56%)
|
245 (55%)
|
225 (49%)
|
87 (43%)
|
67 (35%)
|
7
|
127 (68%)
|
133 (75%)
|
134 (72%)
|
138 (79%)
|
236 (70%)
|
266 (73%)
|
110 (63%)
|
69 (46%)
|
8
|
167 (78%)
|
156 (77%)
|
133 (82%)
|
180 (81%)
|
323 (82%)
|
317 (81%)
|
136 (77%)
|
115 (65%)
|
9
|
122 (82%)
|
129 (88%)
|
131 (89%)
|
111 (85%)
|
244 (82%)
|
236 (85%)
|
109 (78%)
|
89 (69%)
|
10
|
195 (90%)
|
140 (83%)
|
186 (85%)
|
157 (84%)
|
286 (84%)
|
323 (86%)
|
128 (73%)
|
98 (68%)
|
11
|
105 (90%)
|
87 (94%)
|
103 (89%)
|
80 (83%)
|
199 (89%)
|
184 (89%)
|
78 (84%)
|
60 (75%)
|
12
|
164 (88%)
|
132 (80%)
|
145 (84%)
|
146 (89%)
|
305 (88%)
|
314 (87%)
|
147 (87%)
|
104 (71%)
|
Total
|
1 007 (76%)
|
910 (76%)
|
945 (76%)
|
938 (78%)
|
1 838 (77%)
|
1 865 (77%)
|
795 (69%)
|
602 (59%)
|
Source: The Sentinel Community Surveillance Fifth Study Cycle on the
Status and Community Opinions About the Quality of Basic Education
in
Uganda, I.S.A.E, UNICEF 1996-1997. The study was based on nine districts
selected from each region by a weighting procedure.
In the Central region the
districts were Mpigi and Rakai, Eastern region (Tororo and Kapchorwa),
Northern (Lira and Moroto), and
Western region (Mbarara, Rukungiri and
Kibaale).
I. Primary dropout rates by class and sex (P1-P7) 1998
|
|
Female
|
Total
|
Dropouts (%)
|
M
|
F
|
P1
|
49 192
|
45 160
|
94 352
|
52
|
48
|
P2
|
31 410
|
29 442
|
60 852
|
52
|
48
|
P3
|
22 300
|
19 819
|
42 119
|
53
|
47
|
P4
|
18 945
|
16 745
|
35 691
|
53
|
47
|
P5
|
16 259
|
14 690
|
30 949
|
53
|
47
|
P6
|
14 064
|
13 210
|
27 274
|
52
|
48
|
P7
|
11 928
|
10 788
|
22 716
|
53
|
47
|
Total
|
169 099
|
151 698
|
315 725
|
54
|
46
|
Source: Education Census 1998.
Note: The main reasons for primary school dropout were pregnancy
(96% female, 4% male), early marriage (77% female, 33% male), lack of
fees (48%
female, 52% male), work related (50% female, 50% male), family problems,
dismissed (indiscipline), and others.
J. Functional literacy rates
|
1986
|
1989
|
1992
|
1995
|
1998
|
Illiteracy rates of percentage population aged 15+
|
58
|
52
|
49
|
40
|
38.2
|
Illiteracy rates of percentage female group aged 15+
|
73
|
66
|
63
|
53
|
52
|
Source: Human development report 1998, Vision 2025, p. 20.
K. Adult literacy programmes for selected districts (19)
in
Uganda (1992-1997)
Number of literacy supervisors trained
|
Number of instructors trained
|
FAL classes registered
|
Learners enrolled
|
Total learners
|
F
|
M
|
251
|
1 783
|
2 158
|
74 703
|
18 571
|
93 274
|
80.1%
|
19.1%
|
100%
|
Source: MGLSD, FAL Programme in Uganda 1992-1997.
FAL - Functional adult literacy.
L. Secondary school enrolment by class (S1-S6) and gender
1998
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
M (%)
|
F (%)
|
S1
|
42 039
|
29 124
|
71 213
|
59
|
41
|
S2
|
37 103
|
29 182
|
66 285
|
56
|
44
|
S3
|
30 694
|
20 850
|
51 344
|
60
|
40
|
S4
|
24 725
|
16 362
|
41 087
|
60
|
40
|
S5
|
10 486
|
7 704
|
18 190
|
58
|
42
|
S6
|
12 865
|
4 692
|
17 557
|
73
|
27
|
Total
|
157 962
|
107 714
|
265 676
|
59
|
41
|
Source: Education Census 1998, MoES.
-----
[*] For the initial report submitted by
Uganda, see CRC/C/3/Add.40; for its consideration by the Committee on 29 and 30
September 1997,
see CRC/C/SR.409-410, and CRC/C/15/Add.80. The annexes may be
consulted in the files of the secretariat.
GE.04-44380 (E) 050405
WorldLII:
Copyright Policy
|
Disclaimers
|
Privacy Policy
|
Feedback
URL: http://www.worldlii.org/int/other/UNCRCSPR/2004/23.html