Do Child Rights Legislation and Policies Effectively Protect Children from Maltreatment? Reflection from a Nationwide Sectoral In-Depth Analysis

Abstract

A number of international standards and codes have been acceded to and ratified by the government of Uganda for the promotion of child rights. In addition, a number of domestic legislations were made to reflect Uganda’s commitment to making the country a better place for children. These include the Children Act in 2000, the Employment Act 2006; The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2009, the Education Act 2008, Domestic Violence Act 2000. Others include the Uganda People’s Defense Forces Act 2005, which prohibits the enrollment of children in the army, and the Prisons Act 2006, which provides for special facilities for children imprisoned with their mothers and pregnant prisoners. Several policies and frameworks to support implementation of the existing laws have also been put in place. These include: National Strategic Program Plan of Interventions 2010/2011–2015/2016; Universal Secondary Education 2007, Universal Primary Education 1997, National Orphans and Vulnerable Children Policy 2004; and the Child Survival Strategy 2008–2015. Despite the existence of such elaborate legislation and policy framework, there has been limited evidence of improvement in the situation of children. The current study suggests that the factors that promote perpetuation of child maltreatment include: weak enforcement of laws on child protection; limited awareness among caregivers of existing laws and policies; limited awareness of existing laws by law enforcers (police ); and wrong perception of child rights intervention as a predominantly Civil Society Organizations (CSO) agenda as evidenced by the limited budget allocation to the Department of Children.