U.S. Department of State 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report - Uganda

Uganda (Tier 2)

Uganda is a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. The rebel organization, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), operates a campaign of terror in northern Uganda and southern Sudan, a territory outside of the gov-ernment's full control. Rebels abduct Ugandan adults and children to be used as soldiers, cooks, porters, and sex slaves. UNICEF estimates that more than 12,000 children have been abducted since 2002. Thousands of Ugandan children engaged in commercial sex, some of whom were trafficked by a third party. There were reports that Uganda was also a destination for Indian women trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation.

The Government of Uganda does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. To strengthen its efforts to combat trafficking, the government should seek additional training for officials responsible for investigating and prosecuting traffickers, and offer protection services for victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Prosecution

During the year, the government aggressively engaged in anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. Uganda does not have a comprehensive anti-trafficking law; however, the penal code specifies penalties for trafficking-related offenses, including procuring a woman for prostitution, detention with sexual intent, sex with a minor under 18, dealing in slaves, and compelling unlawful labor. Taken together, these laws cover the full scope of trafficking in persons. The government actively enforced its law against engaging in sex with minors, arresting 3,094 people, some of whom were involved with trafficked children. Of these, 440 were prosecuted and 336 were convicted. The Child and Family Protection Unit of the national police, with NGO assistance, trained over 200 police officers on the proper investigation of these complaints. Police also conducted "sweeps" of areas frequented by children in prostitution. One person was arrested when police raided a bar where six women trafficked from India were being exploited.

Military operations against the LRA significantly increased in both northern Uganda and southern Sudan in 2004. Military cooperation between the Governments of Sudan and Uganda to deprive the LRA of bases in southern Sudan also increased. President Museveni supported attempts to negotiate a peaceful end to LRA abductions through two cease-fires, offering an agreement for the cessation of hostilities and return of abductees. To date, the LRA has refused to sign such an agreement or begin returning abductees. The government also granted blanket amnesty, through a law passed in 2000, which absolves returnees, including abductees, from criminal liability if they renounce rebellion. As a result of this policy, however, the government has not prosecuted or convicted LRA rebels (most of whom were also victims of abduction) for trafficking-related offenses.

Protection

The government provided assistance to former LRA abductees, including children. The Uganda Peoples Defense Force's Child Protection Unit operated two centers that facilitated receiving, debriefing, processing, and assessing the medical needs of former child soldiers, as well as their subsequent transfer to NGO-run reintegration centers. Child soldiers who surrendered or were captured were provided with shelter and food during the short period before they were transferred to NGO custody. In the past two years, 7,329 former abductees have been rescued. The Amnesty Commission gave orientation and training to Ugandan officials working to assist former abductees in Sudan. The Ministry of Gender, Labor, and Social Development and ILO-IPEC conducted a joint study on Ugandan children engaged in commercial sexual exploitation in four districts.

Prevention

The Ugandan military is deployed in an extensive effort to defeat the LRA, which would prevent future abductions. The Amnesty Commission, the Office of the President, and the Ministry for Internal Affairs are concurrently involved in seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict, which would also end abductions. In northern Uganda, the government made extensive use of local-language radio broadcasts to persuade abducted children and their captors to accept amnesty and return from the bush. In March 2005, a national anti-trafficking working group was established.