The Navigators of Development Association (NAVODA) has alerted parents and local leaders to the changing tactics of perpetrating child labour in sugarcane growing and other plantation areas.
Speaking to Kazi-njema Radio, Ms Jennifer Baitwamasa, the NAVODA Programme Officer, said that to her experience in child protection, of recent, it has been identified that some sugarcane industry actors have started using new tactics to perpetrate child labour.
She revealed that it has now carried elements of child trafficking where children are transported early morning to distant places where parents cannot easily find them until evening when they are returned on trucks.
“For instance, if the children are from Kijumba village in Hoima district, they are transported to Kyangwali in Kikuube district,” she said.
Her remarks come as local governments are mooting or have already passed bylaws protecting children against child labour.
Earlier, Mr Eddy Wambewo, the Executive Director Elimination of Child Labour in Agriculture (ECLA), said that he has reports that some children are imported from as far as West Nile districts of Arua and Nebbi to not only work in the sugarcane industry but also to other sectors.
During a recently held Regional Conference on Corporate Accountability in Hoima city, Mr Joseph Byaruhanga, the Coordinator for the National Uganda Consortium on Corporate Accountability (UCCA), urged different stakeholders to keep a close eye on organisations to ensure human rights are protected as developments go on.
Last month, Ms Sylvia Nalumaga, the Hoima City Deputy Mayor, said that they had intercepted recruitment of more than 10 young girls in child labour in Hoima city’s entertainment and hospitality industry.
Child labour stands as one of the challenges as the Albertine region experiences rapid development inspired by the oil and gas sector.
