Uganda has the highest number of unaccompanied refugee children in the world, a new report has revealed.

The report by SOS Children’s Village, a non-government organization and the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development shows that 53, 996 child refugees left their countries of origin unaccompanied by a parent, relative or loved one.

“As of 2022, the total refugee population hosted by Uganda stands at 1, 538,606. Out of these, 56% (861,619) are children. As of March 2022, a total of 53,996 children were characterised as at risk, unaccompanied and separated, requiring children protection services,” the report titled Situation Analysis of Children in Alternative Care in Uganda reads.

According to the 2021 report by United Nations Children's Fund, the number of unaccompanied children in refugee camps in 2020 was 40,996, but this increased to more than 50,000 in 2022 as more refugees poured into Uganda from conflict in the neighbouring countries flared up. 

The experts who compiled the report said this number of such children in Ugandan refugee settlements was unprecedented and the highest anywhere in the world.

During the report validation meeting in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb, on Friday, Dr Ronald Luwangula, a child protection expert from Makerere University who led the team of researchers that compiled the report, said unaccompanied children are susceptible to abuse in and outside the camps.

“Such children are exposed to problems such as sexual gender-based violence, neglect, survival sex, teenage pregnancy, HIV, psychosocial distress, being potentially abusive foster families in the refugee camps,” he said, during a report validation meeting in Ntinda, Kampala on Thursday.

Luwangula said although such children are usually taken in by pre-screened foster parents in the refugee settlements, they still face challenges in their day-to-day lives, especially those with disabilities and the ones below the age of five.

The SOS Children’s Villages Uganda executive director, Adisu Hossana, urged data collectors not to only focus on the plight of refugee children, but also the children in the host communities.

“This is because there are many times when the refugee children are better off than their colleagues in the host communities. Sometimes refugee children get better education and health services than those in the host communities,” he said.

Statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Office of the Prime Minister show that over 50% of the unaccompanied children in Uganda were from South Sudan, while the rest were from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and other countries in the region.

Luwangula said most of the unaccompanied children in Uganda are in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda.

Other countries with a high number of unaccompanied refugee children in Africa are Ethiopia with 41,000, Kenya with 10,000 and Cameroon 9,000.

John Mugisha, a senior probation and welfare officer in the Ministry of Gender and Social Development, called for sensitization of Ugandans about the benefits of being foster care and adoption in order to take care of children who do not have parents or guardians.

“We have popularised issues like DNA but not issues of people taking on these children. Many are not willing to open the door for a child in need. As the ministry and partners, we have developed materials that can be used to encourage people to foster in the community. I always receive notifications of people wanting to set up a child home. We need to go back to looking after our children regardless of where they come from,” Mugisha, who is also the national chairperson of the Taskforce on Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, said.

Boys sexually abused

According to the report, more boys reported sexual violence than girls among the 119 children who were sampled from 13 districts.

“Male and female children in alternative care reported having experienced sexual violence in the last 12 months preceding the survey. What emerges, however, is that more male children than females reported experiencing sexual violence that is normatively regarded to affect females,” the report read.

A total of 119 children were interviewed, 52 boys and 67 girls. 15.4% of the boys reported having been fondled, while for girls it was 4.4%. The children interviewed were from Kasese, Kabale, Buvuma, Moroto, Kampala, Gulu, Adjumani, Soroti, Mbale, Jinja, Kiryandongo, Wakiso and Buikwe.

Dr Luwangula called for increased sensitivity to sexual harassment issues among boys.