The increasing number of children living on the streets of Jinja City has caused worry among leaders and child rights activists. 

Leaders are particularly worried that the situation could get out of hand as the environment in which the children live, exposes them to various anti-social behaviours including involvement in crime. 

“We do not want them to stay on the streets because it makes them miss parental care and guidance. They also learn bad behaviour, and many have turned into a menace to the city dwellers,” Fazira Kawuma, the deputy mayor said while commenting on findings of a survey on street children in Jinja City.  

The survey made by Support and Love Via Education (SALVE) International a non-government organization, revealed that there are at least 11,516 street children in Jinja, a surge from 3,943 as per a 2017 survey. 

The study was conducted between January and February this year and covered both southern and northern divisions specifically areas such as Bugembe, Loco village and the slums of Masese 1, Masese 2 and Masese 3 as well as parts of Njeru Municipality. 

According to the survey report released at the organisation’s offices in Namulesa in Jinja City Northern Division on Saturday, November 11, 7,831 (68%) of the children were boys while 3,685 (32%) were girls ranging from three to 17 years of age. 

“The fact that three-year-olds are coming to the streets is something we should all be worried about as it shows that they are taking on adult responsibilities from an extremely young age,” Sarah Esther Agwang, the SALVE International Street outreach manager who headed the exercise, said. 

Agwang said that at least 2% of the children interviewed identified themselves as refugees while only 1,612 (14%) of the children were found to be going to school regularly and only coming to the streets during weekends, evenings and holidays. 

It was also realised that the number of children on the streets was higher during school holidays than during the school term. 

“This is due to the fact that some children come to the streets during the school holidays to try and earn some money for their tuition and other school requirements,” she said. 

“Many children are missing out on getting an education which means they will have fewer opportunities to break the cycle of poverty. It also means that the country is missing out on developing the talents of some of its young citizens who would contribute towards the development of their communities,” she added. 

She also said 63% of the children had lived on the streets for more than one year, a situation she said exposed them to high risks of sexual violence, torture by their peers and security personnel and abuse of drugs among other social evils that ruin their lives. 

Causes of street children 

According to Alfred Ochaya the SALVE International executive director, many children find themselves on the streets due to poor living conditions at home brought about by high levels of poverty and mistreatment, especially by stepparents. 

Other factors he said include peer pressure, loss of family livelihoods as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 and the resultant lockdowns as well as the increasing number of refugees in the country caused by political instabilities in neighbouring states. 

In Jinja, he said the problem could have been exacerbated by the pressure put on the children in Kampala by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) through a by-law that made streets unfriendly for them. 

“The strict laws in Kampala made many of the children to migrate to nearby towns such as Jinja, hence the surge in the numbers,” he said while urging well-wishers to offer assistance for rehabilitation and resettlement of the children. 

Sarah Tibafana, the probation and welfare officer for Jinja, commended SALVE for the initiative, saying such research findings provide a basis for better planning. 

Cissy Logose, the officer in charge of the child and family protection unit at Jinja Central Police Station urged parents and all stakeholders to play their roles towards raising children.