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Exploitation of girls in northern Uganda





During my child labour assessment in northern Uganda in October, I interviewed girls removed from commercial sexual exploitation and placed in relevant education programs.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) in Kampala, Uganda, conducted a study in conjunction with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in 2004, entitled "Report on the Sectoral Study of Child Labour and Commercial Sex Exploitation of Children in Uganda." The report estimated that 7,000 to 9,000 children in northern Uganda are involved in commercial sexual exploitation. The figure is likely to be an under-estimate, particularly as it was only undertaken in four districts, and there has not been a follow-up assessment.

Of the children interviewed in the study, 91% were females and 9% were males. Almost half of those in the study were orphaned and 65% had either dropped out or never attended school. It also noted that many children were involved in less formal transactional sex in order to meet basic needs and living expenses.

Current efforts to place girls in education programs is paying dividends. Girls as young as 12 years, who were formerly involved in commercial sex said that they were exploited by people they knew - direct family members and relatives - in order to support their family financially. Many girls whose parents were killed in the persistent conflicts in northern Uganda are now the head of the family. In the past this put pressure on them to earn money. The education programs support the girls with school fees, uniforms, books and scholastic materials. Schools in targeted areas are supported with materials, training for teachers in guidance and counselling, and to strengthen school management.

It was interesting to note that the schools headed by female principals appeared to have more effective management systems in place. Girls said that the female head teachers were teaching them lifeskills and how to be strong in character so that they did not relapse into commercial sexual exploitation. They were role models for girls who previously had no-one to look up to or weak leaders.

It is therefore essential to encourage more girls to continue their secondary education and take on teaching studies. Female teachers do make a difference in the life of young girls.






MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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