HUMAN | RIGHTS | ABUSE

KAMPALA - The Uganda Human Rights Commission has launched its state of human rights and freedoms in Uganda 2021.

The report, in its 24th edition, focused on several human rights concerns in the country ranging from the COVID pandemic and the responses therein, externalisation of labour in the middle east.

Other concerns were the situation in Kalangala and Buvuma districts, extractive industries in Karamoja subregion, enforced disappearances in Uganda, the plight of urban refugees, juvenile justice, access to electricity, and emerging human rights concerns such as the ongoing disarmament in Karamoja, social media and teenage pregnancies.

On Covid -19, the report has faulted the Ministry of Health for denying Ugandans the right to self-determination when it forced them to take the COVID jabs.

The report notes that while there are legitimate public health reasons for as many people as possible to be vaccinated, governments must not impose blanket vaccination mandates and should seek to ensure that vaccination is with full consent.

“Not doing so has the potential to infringe upon human rights,” it states, noting that blanket mandates don't take into account specific contexts and the circumstances faced by particular populations.

“As a result, blanket mandates can have a discriminatory and disproportionate impact upon some groups such as indigenous communities, who may not trust health authorities due to historical marginalisation,” it said.

Crispin Kaheeru, a member of the commission, noted that during the COVID period, there was also a spike in teenage pregnancies, domestic violence, mental health issues and increase in the domestic burden on the women.

He said there was also deprivation of the right to work and limitations on access to justice.

Regarding labour externalisation, the report notes that migrant workers and critical stakeholders in the recruitment of migrant workers still have limited knowledge of the laws governing the trade thereby giving room for human trafficking.

In the year under review, the report notes that 422 incidents of trafficking were registered which is an increase of 96.7% from the previous year.

Kaheru said Ugandans working in the middle east are also exploited, their travel documents confiscated and work long hours.