Project of Support for the Preparatory Phase of the Uganda National Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labour

Executive Summary Child labour is a significant social and economic problem in Uganda. It constitutes a grave violation of children’s right to education and protection and is putting at risk the Republic’s progress by limiting the potential of it future workforce. An estimated 1.76 million 5-17 year-olds in Uganda are engaged in child labour. The educational achievement of these children is at risk because they either do not attend school or their schooling suffers from long hours dedicated to work. Child labour is found in agriculture, transport, mining and related sectors, fishing, construction, the urban informal sector, domestic service and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Other activities include illegal cross border trade (smuggling) and trafficking of children within and outside the country for employment and other purposes. In the conflict torn zones in the North, children have been engaged in armed forces. The most affected groups are HIV/AIDS affected and infected children, children from very poor families, orphans, children with disabilities as well as children caught up in armed conflict. Uganda has ratified both Convention 138 (minimum age) and Convention 182 (WFCL) and child labour programs have been implemented by Government, Civil Society Organizations, and Employers’ and Workers’ Organizations since 1999. In November 2006, the Government of Uganda, with contributions from the other tripartite partners, adopted a National Child Labour Policy (NCLP) following renewed official support and leadership in addressing child labour. The objective of this strategic policy is to integrate child labour concerns into national, district and community development programs, establish legal, legislative and institutional frameworks for combating the WFCL, and to stimulate collective and concerted mobilization against child labour at all levels. The NCLP was launched by President Museveni during the International Labour Day celebrations on 1 May 2007. This has created new momentum for forging ahead with the development of a National Action Plan (NAP) aimed to scale up interventions against child labour across the country. This 44 month, 4.79 million dollar Project of Support for the preparatory phase of the Uganda National Action Plan aims to assist the Government to further strengthen its legal, policy, institutional and social foundations for timely, large-scale action against the Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL). To achieve this, interventions will be designed to tap into components of the Ugandan Decent Work Country Program (UDWCP) as well as the opportunities offered by other current political, social and economic development programmes and policies in Uganda. Most important strategically, this project will seek closer linkages to the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Policy and Action Plan which targets children engaged in child labour among other vulnerable groups (most of whom are children at risk of engaging in child labour) and supports integrated programs at the district level in the areas of education, social protection and livelihood development. The project will contribute to the finalization and support for the implementation of a five year National Action Plan (NAP) to combat the WFCL, currently in draft form. This Project of Support (PoS) will facilitate the process of translation of the NCLP into a finalized NAP and will contribute to the implementation of the Plan by strengthening the legal framework and enforcement mechanisms for protecting children from exploitative work and abuse, reinforcing the knowledge base, awareness raising and the piloting of an integrated area-based approach (IABA) in support of vulnerable families and children in three districts for later replication in other districts. Activities that address three cross-cutting concerns will be weaved into all components of the project: preventing the spread and mitigating the effects of HIV/AIDS on children; assur

Project symbol

UGA/08/50/USA

Admin unit

CO-Dar es Salaam

Start date

30/09/2008

End date

30/11/2012

Total allocation

4791000

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

4656407

Development Partners

USA, United States Department of Labor, Bureau for International Labor Affairs, Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking

Country/Countries

Uganda

Outcomes

Child Labour