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Ahead of the Day of the African Child commemoration this Sunday (June 16), the government has committed to continue ensuring safety and equal opportunities for all children. 

The gender ministry has indicated that addressing bottlenecks to children’s well-being such as child labour and torture is key.

“This day, we celebrate and honour the courage and resilience of the children who stood up for their rights in the face of adversity,” said Children and Youth Affairs state minister Balaam Barugahara in the buildup.

The International Day of the African Child, also known as the Day of the African Child (DAC), has been celebrated on June 16 every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the OAU (Organization of African Unity).

The day honours the people who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 on that day among others protesting the poor quality of education to the Blacks in Apartheid-era South Africa.

It is also a vanguard to raise awareness on the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children.

On June 16, 1976, about 10,000 Black schoolchildren marched in a column more than half a mile long, protesting the poor quality of their education and demanding their right to be taught in their language.

Hundreds of young students were shot and more than 100 people were killed in the protests of the following two weeks, and more than a thousand were injured.

In Uganda, national celebrations will be hosted in the Kiryandongo district on Sunday, with pre-activities already ongoing and supported by state and non-state actors.

According to the government, life became more complicated for children, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and many became victims of child labour.

'Awareness among parents'

A Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) report said that in 2021, the rate of child labour rose from 14% to 28%.

In terms of numbers, that was an increase from about two million to about four million out of the nearly 15 million children in Uganda aged between five and 17.

UBOS highlighted that the child labour cases took a daily increase trajectory.

Despite the recovery being experienced from the bite of the global pandemic, the gender ministry is still concerned that many children are still victims of child labour and out of school.

Minister Barugahara has since made it clear that the rights of all children must unquestionably be upheld and adhered to, including the right to education.

"One of the things we are doing on top of enforcement of the law against child rights abusers is creating awareness among the parents and the authorities about children’s rights," he said.

Bernard Amuriat, the assistant commissioner for labour inspections at the gender ministry, said child labour deprives children of their dignity, well-being, and protection, which is a great danger to their future.