Uganda: Child trafficking from Asia, Somalia

(SomaliNet) The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has revealed that Asian children mainly from India, Pakistan and China are being trafficked into Uganda.

“Children from these countries are trafficked into the country disguised as cultural dancers on short- term visits,” ILO said.

Somali children were also noted to be brought in as refugees.

The revelations are contained in ILO’s rapid assessment report on trafficking of children based on a study conducted in the Ugandan districts of Busia, Pader, Kalangala, Masaka and capital city Kampala.

This was issued to participants from the Great Lakes region who are attending a conference on ‘First Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Conference in Eastern Africa’ at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.

According to news sources, the UN agency noted that Uganda is a source, transit and destination for child trafficking.

“There are complicated informal and yet well coordinated networks of individuals and groups. They have trafficking chains right from villages with transit points such as Nyendo and Busia towns to the final destinations.”

Those involved in the lucrative trade include pimps, employment bureaus, churches, transport agents, NGOs, peers, fishermen and individuals.

On cross-border trafficking, children are facilitated by traffickers and middlemen with accommodation, food, travel documents and transport, and by agents to Dubai, United Arab Emirates and the US.

Other children are facilitated by long-distance drivers who promise them employment or rosy marriages across the borders along the Trans-East African Highway from Mombasa through Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, up to the DR Congo, the report said.

“Networks of cross border traffickers mainly have their bases in salons, shops in Kampala city business centre and these usually connect girls to Dubai city in the United Arab Emirates.”

Kenya is ranked as the number one destination of children trafficked from Uganda at 51%, followed by Sudan 39%, Tanzania 6%, Rwanda 3% and the DR Congo at 1%.

“Most children are trafficked to Kenya because of the existence of more opportunities for commercial sex and marriages.

“It also acts as a convenient transit point and gateway to the Middle East and other countries,” the ILO report states.

Most of the trafficked children are engaged in the worst forms of child labour such as fighting as combatants with rebels, used as sex slaves, involved in commercial sex, while others are married off.


According to ILO, it was disclosed that Uganda had no specific legislation to address the crime but that many cases were prosecuted under the Penal Code Act.

The study established that there was little effort by the local leaders to address the problem.

To combat child trafficking, the International Labour Organisation report proposed a strategy based on five pillars namely, law reform and awareness, community involvement and capacity building, sustained multi-media campaigns and development of victim support programmes.-New Vision