Gender Ministry embarks on drive to resettle street children

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has started a campaign to resettle over 150 children from the streets of Kampala and different towns across the country.

The exercise that begun in Kampala will soon be launched in the areas of Jinja, Iganga, Busia, Mbale, Tororo and Soroti, which host a large population of street children. So far, 70 children and two adults, picked from the areas of Makerere and Jinja road, have been taken to Kampiringisa Rehabilitation Centre.

Assistant Commissioner for Youth and Children Affairs Kyateeka Mondo says the exercise is aimed at ridding the streets of children.

Kyateeka says that unlike before when exercises of the same nature only kept children off for a short period of time, stringent measures have been put in place to ensure that the children remain in the rehabilitation facility, where they will be equipped with vocational skills before resettlement.

Kyateeka says they are working with local leaders in districts like Napak where most of the children hail from, to sensitize parents on the dangers of sending children to Kampala to beg.

A 2017 study carried out by Retrak Uganda and Dwelling Places estimated that over 18,000 children beg on the streets of Uganda. The study highlighted that most children beg as a means to earn a living.

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