Who is a child?
A child is any person below the age of 18 years. This is according to the constitution of the Republic of Uganda and reinforced by the employment act and the children’s act.
A child is any person below the age of 18 years. This is according to the constitution of the Republic of Uganda and reinforced by the employment act and the children’s act.
Note: if the above work is excessive and interferes with the child’s development then it is child labour.
This is work which by its nature or the conditions under which it is performed, is hazardous, exploitative and threatens the health, safety, physical growth and mental development of a child.
Where a child below 16 years is employed to do work for payment.
Child exploitation is the use of a child by a person for one's own advantage to gain benefits at the expense of the child. Examples of child exploitation include using children as sex workers, forcing children to work on the streets, using children as domestic servants.
Legal framework
The constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995 states that children must be protected from social and economic exploitation. It also forbids the employment of children and forcing children to perform work that is likely to be dangerous or interfere with the children’s education or that is harmful to their health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.
The children's’ act also says that no child shall be employed or engaged in any activity that is harmful to his education mental, physical or moral development.
The Employment Act 2006
Any person may complain to a labour officer is he or she considers that a child is being employed against the provisions of the employment act.
Labour officer - stop the employment of children by withdrawing and ordering the employers to stop the employment of children
Police – child and family protection unit.
The family and children courts are a court set up in every district and every other local government unit. This court is led by a magistrate who is not below Grade II.