VIDEO: Killer Dance Moves As Ugandans Mark International Street Children’s Day, But The Question Remains ”why have children from the Karamoja continued to roam Kampala Streets when their leaders are quiet?”

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The #InternationalStreetChildrensDay is a reminder for us all to think about the basic rights of millions of street children worldwide. Let's make an effort to make this world a better place to live in, especially for our children. #Uganda joins the world to mark the day…. pic.twitter.com/5oCBtb9xKA — ataiemma (@ataiemma) April 12, 2019 As Uganda […]


As Uganda joins the rest of the world to celebrate the International Day for Street Children, marked every year on 12th April, Miria Matembe, the former Ethics and Integrity minister has urged the government to find a lasting solution to the problem of street children.

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Matembe, who was speaking in Moroto, wondered why children from the Karamoja region have continued to roam the streets of Kampala and other towns when their leaders are quiet.

However, women leaders informed Matembe that the government had constructed a remand home for children in Moroto.

But Matembe explained that parents, together with government ought to find a better solution to children other than boasting of a remand home for children.

According to a recent research done in four urban centres; Kampala, Jinja, Mbale and Busia by the parliamentary children’s forum chaired by Bernard Atiku ,15,000 children are living on the streets and are a security time bomb for the country if they are not helped to become better future citizens.

Celebrations are underway at Pan African Square Clock tower, Kampala under the theme; ‘’Commit to Equality’’. Some of the notable people in attendance are Miss Uganda, Quinn Abenakyo.

The International Day for Street Children is a special day recognizing the strength and resilience of millions of street children around the world.

Celebrated globally since 2012, it is an opportunity to recognise their humanity, dignity and defiance in the face of unimaginable hardships.

Just like all children, street children have rights enshrined in The Child Rights Convention, which has near universal ratification and support. In 2017, the United Nations have specifically acknowledged these children’s rights in a document called the General Comment (No.21) on Children in Street Situations.

The General Comment tells governments how they should treat street children in their countries as well as how to improve current practices.

“The Convention on the Rights of the Child has been signed by every country in the world bar one [the US] but governments have always told us, ‘we can’t apply this convention to street children because it is too difficult.’ The General Comment will enable us to show them how to implement it to ensure street children are offered the same human rights protection as all other children,” said Caroline Ford, CEO, Consortium for Street Children.

IDSC 2019 – Commit to Equality

In 2018, CSC launched our 5-year ‘4 Steps to Equality’ campaign – a call to governments around the world to take four steps that will achieve equality for street children.

The 4 Steps to Equality is based on the UN General Comment on Children in Street Situations, breaking it into four actionable steps:

  1. Commit to Equality
  2. Protect Every Child
  3. Provide Access to Services
  4. Create Specialised Solutions

In 2019, we concentrate on Step 1: Commit to Equality. We call on Governments to recognise that street children have the same rights as any other child – and to reflect that in law and policy.

Join us in calling for equality for street children under law. 

Are street children equal under law?

Not only are street children among the most vulnerable children on the planet – deprived of basic needs like food and shelter and disproportionately targeted by violence – but they are also penalised in law for things they have to do to survive. So-called ‘status offences’ like loitering or begging, criminalise street children for being on the street and needing to survive.

 


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