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Child LaborArchive 2008–2016

Child Labor in northern Uganda (2008)

A child labor case from 2008 in northern Uganda, Uganda.

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Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don’t have a verifiable source on file yet. Know one?

What happened

The Lord's Resistance Army was created in the mid 80's by Joseph Kony as a response to corruption in the Ugandan government. What began as a movement to liberate the Acholi people" has turned against them, kidnapping 50,000 Acholi children to serve as soldiers and sex slaves in the LRA.

Response and intervention

The Ugandan People's Defense Force has been deployed throughout the north to "protect" the IDP camps (Internally Displaced Person) however, the soldiers have offered minimal protection and there have even been reports of rape and abuse by the UPDF soldiers. For nearly three decades the Ugandan government and the international community have done little to bring an end to the suffering and victimization of the Acholi people. The children that have escaped the LRA are being treated by organizations like World Vision and Invisible Children. However, these organizations are struggling to keep up with the growing number of children needing physical and psychological aftercare. **Although some progress has been made, there are still thousands of children enslaved by the LRA that have yet to be emancipated. World Vision, Invisible Children, etc

Child Labor2003

Abimwoda, Gulu, Uganda, 2003

Uganda UG

President Yoweri Museveni used Uganda's military to battle the two main rebel groups, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Thousands of children fell victim to the war - abducted by both the LRA and the ADF to serve as fighters or porters. As the conflict between the Government of Uganda (GOU) forces and armed insurgent groups intensified in late 1996, the GOU military began encouraging rural people in affected areas to move into protective camps. However, the military provided only a short period for the move and undertook little preparation for the influx of people to the protective camps. Some international observers thought a peace deal was going to be reached in October 2006. LRA leaders (though not Kony) met with GOU negotiators in the town of Juba in Southern Sudan. However, the talks broke down relatively quickly as both sides violated their predetermined conditions of the negotiation. LRA forces moved from their designated area along the Sudanese-Ugandan border and GOU forces assembled in unauthorized portions of Northern Uganda. The talks were also at an impasse. The main discussion was about the charges brought on Kony and four LRA leaders by the ICC. The LRA claimed they would sign a peace deal after the charges were dropped, while GOU negotiators demanded that a peace deal be in place before they discussed dropping the charges. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/uganda.htm Many of the children were rescued by the Ugandan military and others found the opportunity to escape despite fear of being killed or re-abducted. The pressure by the Ugandan army decimated rebel ranks significantly.

2 sourcesArchive 2008–2016
Child Labor2003

Karutu, Gulu, Uganda, 2003

Uganda UG

President Yoweri Museveni used Uganda's military to battle the two main rebel groups, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Thousands of children fell victim to the war - abducted by both the LRA and the ADF to serve as fighters or porters. As the conflict between the Government of Uganda (GOU) forces and armed insurgent groups intensified in late 1996, the GOU military began encouraging rural people in affected areas to move into protective camps. However, the military provided only a short period for the move and undertook little preparation for the influx of people to the protective camps. Some international observers thought a peace deal was going to be reached in October 2006. LRA leaders (though not Kony) met with GOU negotiators in the town of Juba in Southern Sudan. However, the talks broke down relatively quickly as both sides violated their predetermined conditions of the negotiation. LRA forces moved from their designated area along the Sudanese-Ugandan border and GOU forces assembled in unauthorized portions of Northern Uganda. The talks were also at an impasse. The main discussion was about the charges brought on Kony and four LRA leaders by the ICC. The LRA claimed they would sign a peace deal after the charges were dropped, while GOU negotiators demanded that a peace deal be in place before they discussed dropping the charges. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/uganda.htm Many of the children were rescued by the Ugandan military and others found the opportunity to escape despite fear of being killed or re-abducted. The pressure by the Ugandan army decimated rebel ranks significantly.

2 sourcesArchive 2008–2016
Child Labor2003

Lacor Seminary, Gulu, Uganda, 2003

Uganda UG

President Yoweri Museveni used Uganda's military to battle the two main rebel groups, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Thousands of children fell victim to the war - abducted by both the LRA and the ADF to serve as fighters or porters. As the conflict between the Government of Uganda (GOU) forces and armed insurgent groups intensified in late 1996, the GOU military began encouraging rural people in affected areas to move into protective camps. However, the military provided only a short period for the move and undertook little preparation for the influx of people to the protective camps. Some international observers thought a peace deal was going to be reached in October 2006. LRA leaders (though not Kony) met with GOU negotiators in the town of Juba in Southern Sudan. However, the talks broke down relatively quickly as both sides violated their predetermined conditions of the negotiation. LRA forces moved from their designated area along the Sudanese-Ugandan border and GOU forces assembled in unauthorized portions of Northern Uganda. The talks were also at an impasse. The main discussion was about the charges brought on Kony and four LRA leaders by the ICC. The LRA claimed they would sign a peace deal after the charges were dropped, while GOU negotiators demanded that a peace deal be in place before they discussed dropping the charges. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/uganda.htm Many of the children were rescued by the Ugandan military and others found the opportunity to escape despite fear of being killed or re-abducted. The pressure by the Ugandan army decimated rebel ranks significantly.

2 sourcesArchive 2008–2016