Civil society organization fighting for children's rights say that domestic  violence  among married couples  has become one of the major factors pushing children on to Streets of different urban places in Uganda. The organizations say that many families are no longer safe for children because of the unending violence which results into children running away ending up on streets.

The revelation came as different stakeholders commemorated the International Day for Street children at an event organized by the Uganda Child Rights NGO Network and other organizations in Jinja city under the theme "Keeping Street connected children safe"

The head of the family protection unit at Jinja Central police station Assistant Superintendent of Police Logose Cissy concurs with the position of the NGOS.

“Fights in homes make children more vulnerable and unattended to. They become victims because of the associated neglect. Most cases the children will run away in such of help and sometimes they end up on streets”

The program officer at National children authority in charge of monitoring and evaluation Fred Mabonga who officiated at the function says children picked from streets should be taken to rehabilitation centres and should not be held with hardcore criminals

“The police officers and the in charges they must ensure that children are not put in the same cells with the adults. If it’s a minors case let it be handled very fast and children reunited with their parents. Children are not supposed to put in the same cell with the adults, it’s against the law and must not be encouraged” Mabonga explained

The probation and social welfare officer at Jinja city Phoebe Monica Kwagala says poor parenting especially in polygamous families has also facilitated the phenomenon of street children.

“In a polygamous communities or families, the father who is a key pillar does not have enough time to take care and groom children. He is too busy running around in different homes. The mothers are also busy in markets to try and get more money to support their families because the husband does not have enough for all the homes. The children are left alone sometimes with no food and free to make funny decisions including going to streets”  

Rebecca Kyomugisha from Jinja connection, a project working to rescue street connected children says that the other major challenge is people who give food and money to the children on streets

“People who give these children jobs, food and money are a big problem. The children keep flocking to the streets because they know someone will give them free food and donate money. If the families they come from are not also stable, the situation becomes even worse”

Sanyu Roberts from street children working groups says that government need to enact new laws that will see people giving money to children on streets arrested and charged

“The by-law that was enacted by Kampala Capital city should be used as an example because it punishes those donating free things to children on the street. If we have such laws in place and they are fully implemented, those bringing children to streets and treating them as a business will stop doing that”

It’s estimated that about 15000 children are on different streets in the major urban centres including the capital city Kampala.     

About the international for street children

Every year on April 12th, International Day for Street Children provides a voice for children that live on the street so their rights cannot be ignored. The day provides opportunities for human rights organizations to spread awareness for the number of street children throughout the world.

According to recent statistics, up to 150 million children throughout the world live on the street. Some children live on the street with their families. Other children spend a majority of their time on the street begging for food and money. Still, others live on the street as orphans with no family or no home to return to at night.

There are many reasons children end up on the street. One of the most common reasons is they live in a country where war and conflict are rampant. Children in this situation are either separated from their family or their family members have died. Some children leave home voluntarily because they are abused by family members. Other children live on the street because they are rejected by their family, have mental health issues, or are being forced into criminal activity. No matter what the case, street children are often denied an education, health care, and other basic human rights.

Human Rights

In 1989, the UN held the Convention on the Rights of the Child. According to the Convention, some of the rights that all children in the world should have include the right to:

A stable, loving, and nurturing environment

Healthcare and nutrition

Clean water and electric power

Equal opportunities

Live in dignity and freedom

Sadly, children on the street do not have these rights. It’s for this reason that organizations such as the Consortium for Street Children (CSC) are trying to enact the Four Steps to Equality. These steps include making a commitment to equality, protecting every child, providing access to services, and creating new solutions.