Much of the war in northern Uganda was fought by children. The rebel forces, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) abducted between 20,000 and 40,000 children and forced them to fight, become sex slaves or otherwise enslaved them in service to the rebels. Torture, beatings and mutilation of civilians and abducted children were commonplace. Abducted children were also used by the rebels to clear landmines, as human shields, and as tools of espionage.

Girls encountered special hardships. Not only were they used as porters and soldiers, they were also given to rebels as “wives” and forced into sexual slavery. Girls were forced into domestic servitude, and were repeatedly raped and impregnated until they were either killed or escaped, usually many years later.

Children lucky enough to escape alive from the LRA, continue to encounter hardship, including stigmatization not only by their communities, but often their own families. This has been especially true for girls who have borne the children of rebels as a result of their sexual slavery. Crimes against these children are widespread. A lack of respect and enforcement of law has led to children’s rights being violated with impunity. This is not helped by the fact the courts and police are not able to fully protect those rights, even though those rights are enshrined in Ugandan law.

Although a 2006 ceasefire has brought a fragile peace to Northern Uganda, women and girls’ rights, as well as those of children, continue to be violated. Violence against women and children - because of their gender - remains pervasive, and adequate means to prevent and respond to this violence remains elusive.

In response to women and children’s vulnerable position and subsequent difficulty in accessing justice in Northern Uganda, War Child provides free legal assistance to children and women in Gulu, Amuru, Pader, Kitgum and Lira districts. As a result, women and children are able to seek justice when they experience violence such as domestic abuse, rape, assault and neglect. 

To ensure the program has the support and understanding of the community, War Child implements a number of programs designed to promote awareness and understanding of children’s and women’s rights. War Child is providing training to local legal structures, including police, probation and welfare officers, and local courts, to ensure that they are aware of their responsibility to protect children and women, especially against sexual and gender based violence.

Throughout 2009, approximately 15,000 community members were involved in sensitization events to learn about Sexual and Gender Based Violence; 789 new cases have been opened by War Child legal staff; 347 police officers and 333 local leaders have been trained on appropriate guidelines for working with survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Juvenile Justice, Children’s rights, laws governing the protection of women and children as they specifically relate to their position as guardians of the law; there have been 100 radio broadcasts on Sexual and Gender Based Violence and Children’s rights, targeting up to approximately 1.5 million people living in northern Uganda.

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