Vocational training courses supported by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) were offered as part of child labor projects in northern Uganda.
USDOL targeted northern Uganda for assistance in reducing child labor because of the 18-year conflict with the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group who kidnap children and force them to kill or become sex slaves to the army’s officials. Since June 2002 an estimated 10,000 children have been abducted and 75% of the population in Gulu, Kitgum and Pader have been displaced and living in internally displaced persons’ (IDP) camps. Additionally, an estimated 20,000 children migrated from their villages to the three major towns each night to seek refuge from rebel attacks, and become known as ‘night commuters’. The HIV/AIDS prevalence in northern Uganda is above the national average, estimated at 16%. With nearly 2 million, Uganda has the largest proportion of children orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS in the world and 34% of Ugandan children ages 5-17 years work, estimated at 400,000 in northern Uganda.
Peace talks between the LRA and the Government of Uganda have been an ongoing process. However, peace has returned to the region - mostly because the LRA have left the region. IDPs have been able to access their land and almost all (an estimated 80%) have left the camps to return to their original homes. In doing so, many IDPs face several challenges, including lack of access to quality education and health services since most social infrastructures were destroyed during the civil war.
Children and youth in northern Uganda are extremely vulnerable to child labor and exploitation. The war left many children orphaned with no means of financial support. Poverty put families under extreme economic pressure with many not able to school their children. Some areas are without nearby secondary schools and some have no vocational training centers, hence the distances between educational institutions are considerable.
USDOL's goal in norhern Uganda is to sustainably reduce the prevalence of child labor by supporting children in targeted communities to access education. The project works at the national, district, and community levels in collaboration with relevant partners and alliances. These included ministries, organizations, and agencies involved in reducing child labor, human trafficking and HIV/AIDS, and improving education. The International Labor Organization International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC), for example, was a prime collaborator due to its child labor mandate and training modules/manuals on child labor and HIV/AIDS.
The Government of Uganda (GoU) signed the ILO Convention No. 182 on the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labor (WFCL) in 1999; the ILO Convention No. 138 on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment (1973); UN conventions and protocols; and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1991). In November 2006, the GoU launched its National Child Labor Policy under the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, designed to compliment other policies and programs. The overall objective of the National Child Labor Policy is “to guide and promote sustainable action aimed at the progressive elimination of child labor, starting with the worst forms.” Strategies for implementation include: advocacy and awareness-raising; addressing poverty and HIV/AIDS; access to education and vocational training; legislation and enforcement; withdrawal, rehabilitation and alternatives for livelihoods; capacity building; coordination and networking; the formation of a national database; and mobilization of resources. However, the GoU has not yet implemented the national policy at the district and local levels.
USDOL's project offers vocational programs for youth, initially for six months duration, but the courses were extended to nine months. USDOL supported beneficiaries throughout the course (with functional literacy, numeracy and for some, business skills). Vocational training courses include tailoring, catering, bricklaying and concrete practice (BCP), carpentry and joinery (C&J), welding, driver training, car mechanics, and hairdressing. The project provided a start-up kit on completion, and provided follow-ups, generally for six months after completion. The start-up kit comprised a few essential items for graduates to commence their own business or to have some tools for employment in the industry. For example, a tailoring start-up kit included a pedal-driven sewing machine, thread, scissors, and tape measure. A driver’s start-up kit included a driver’s license. Car tools were also supplied if driver training graduates also undertook car mechanics.
In the northern Ugandan USDOL project, 18% of all students were supported in vocational training - other children were supported in primary and secondary schooling. Of these, 47% were females and 53% were males. A total of 100% of students completed. This is interesting because there is a high drop-out rate in secondary school and many girls don't complete their schooling. Training facilitators reported that dropout rates were zero in vocational training courses because students who completed the training were assigned an artisan, who mentored their practical skills training. Students sit a standard competency exam and on passing receive a start-up kit. This incentive increased retention.
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