Franciscans International joined its Ugandan partners in early October for a three-day workshop ahead of the country’s examination by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Despite the legal protections that are formally in place, young women and children continue to be at risk of serious human rights violations, including early marriages, female genital mutilation, and human trafficking. Drawing on the insights of Franciscans and other partners working directly with affected children and youth, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss these issues and explore recommendations that can be made during the upcoming UN review.
Although the Ugandan constitution puts the legal age for marriage at eighteen and prohibits forced marriage, customary laws, cultural norms, and social pressure all contribute to entrenching early marriages. Closely linked to this is the prevalence of teenage pregnancies – both of which have been on the rise since the Covid-19 lockdowns. Poverty and an educational system that is chronically underfunded further contribute to the vulnerability of young women and girls.
Poverty is also a driving factor of school dropouts, forced labor, sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude. Girls are particularly at risk of being trafficked for domestic labor in the Middle East and the Gulf States. Despite some improvements to identify victims and prosecute perpetrators, there is still a lack of social, psychological, and legal support from authorities for those who manage to return – much of that is left to civil society and faith-based organizations. All these factors combine to negatively affect the socio-economic empowerment of girls and further isolate them from society.
Since Uganda already has extensive legislation in place to address these issues, Franciscans will highlight the need to take a holistic approach to fully utilize and operationalize these protections. This should include awareness raising and improved implementation at the local level, and addressing the structural lack of funding that impedes the realization of children’s rights in the country. The recommendations will build on previous submissions made during the Universal Periodic Review and Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 2022 and the Human Rights Committee (CCPR) in 2023. Uganda will be reviewed by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in September 2025.