Civil society expresses concern over increasing numbers of street children

Little has been done despite plans to get rid of street children and no one seems to be listening to the government directives on removing these children from the streets.

According to the report released by AfriChild, a civil society organisation, poor circumstances, trafficking and abandonment remain the major causes of the ever-growing numbers of children on the streets.

It is estimated that the global number of street children is over 100 million and in Uganda, estimates indicate that there are between 10,000 to 15,000 children on the streets around Kampala, Jinja, Iganga and Mbale.

According to the study, many factors ranging from domestic violence, poverty in homes and mistreatment  have pushed some of the children to the streets

The Executive Director of Africhild, Timothy Opobo, said the plight of children on the streets is a very big question to the country that must be tackled with immediate effect

Opobo noted that government needs to move faster and resettle and rehabilitate these street children because they can be a threat to the country's development.

“These children are going to become social problems. They are going to be the one leading in crime, recently we saw the directive from the president directing the police to address the gangs but the gangs are an after effect of these children who have stayed on streets without love ,without any attention resorting to crime as the next means of survival," he said.

Andrew Ndyaguma from the Haven for African Children, said the public has continuously judged children on the streets harshly which does not solve the challenge.

“Some of them steal not because they want to. Some of these children actually are good,"he said.