The ministry stressed that withdrawing children from hazardous work must be accompanied by appropriate care, including assessment, referral services, psychosocial support where necessary, and assistance to return to school or access suitable learning opportunities.
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Children in Eastern Uganda remain vulnerable to exploitation that robs them of education, threatens their health and exposes them to abuse, prompting the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to call for stronger enforcement against child labour, slavery and human trafficking.
The ministry made the call during a stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting held at Hotel Zeptan in Jinja City on Thursday, urging employers, government agencies and other partners to strengthen child protection and support families whose economic hardships increase the risk of exploitation.
The ministry’s Acting Permanent Secretary, Alex Asiimwe, said child labour deprives children of educational opportunities, damages their health and exposes them to abuse.
“Poverty and limited livelihood opportunities increase vulnerability. Addressing these pressures requires stronger links between labour enforcement and household support. Employers remain responsible for preventing exploitation even where families face economic hardship,” Asiimwe said in remarks delivered by Maurine Karungi, the acting head of the Ending Child Labour, Slavery and Trafficking Section.
Asiimwe said the Government had committed funding towards efforts to eliminate child labour, modern slavery and human trafficking, adding that the investment must translate into effective enforcement, services for vulnerable children and families, and measurable results.
Particular attention was drawn to agriculture, where children engaged in hazardous activities risk injury from dangerous tools, exposure to chemicals and harm from carrying heavy loads.
The ministry stressed that withdrawing children from hazardous work must be accompanied by appropriate care, including assessment, referral services, psychosocial support where necessary, and assistance to return to school or access suitable learning opportunities.
“Family engagement and follow-up are essential to reduce the risk of a return to exploitation,” Asiimwe said.
Participants were urged to strengthen responsible recruitment practices and oversight of suppliers, establish clear referral systems to ensure suspected cases receive timely assistance, and agree on specific actions, timelines and mechanisms for reviewing progress.
The engagement is aligned with Uganda’s obligations under the International Labour Organization’s Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), which calls for urgent and effective measures to prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of child labour.
It also supports Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7, which calls for the eradication of forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking, as well as the elimination of child labour in all its forms.
At the national level, the meeting reinforces the Second National Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labour (NAP II 2020/21–2024/25), which seeks to strengthen prevention, protection and rehabilitation while reducing the risk of children being drawn back into exploitative work.
The ministry also cited the Children Act, Cap. 62, which prohibits the employment of children in activities harmful to their health, education or development, and the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, Cap. 131, which criminalises trafficking for purposes including forced labour and slavery.
The meeting brought together representatives of district local governments, district labour officers, industrial associations, business leaders, companies operating in agricultural supply chains, employers’ and workers’ organisations, and other partners.
The stakeholders were urged to turn their commitments into practical action to protect children from exploitation and ensure vulnerable households receive the support needed to prevent child labour.
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