Uganda: Homeless Children Face Violence, Exploitation

1
Street children in Mbale town in Uganda, 140 miles east of the capital, Kampala, surround an open fire to stay warm at night. © 2014 Edward Echwalu 446711
2
Street children in Mbale town, east of Kampala sleep on shop verandas after owners have closed for the day. © 2014 Edward Echwalu 446711
3
A 14-year-old boy in Mbale town, east of Kampala, was taken to the Kampiringisa National Rehabilitation Center outside Kampala. He was hit on the head with a baton when he resisted arrest, though later escaped. © 2014 Edward Echwalu 446711
4
A 13-year-old boy in Mbale was injured in an assault by a woman from the community, who wrongly accused him of theft. The boy has spent eight years on the streets and has previously been beaten by security personnel and members of the community. Though he was in pain, he did not have money for medical treatment. © 2014 Edward Echwalu 446711
5
A 10-year-old boy looks for metal scraps at a garbage heap in Mbale town, east of Kampala. He sells metal scraps and empty plastic bottles in exchange for money, food, or petrol to sniff. © 2014 Edward Echwalu 446711
6
An 11-year old boy sniffs a combination of petrol and coffee spirits in Mbale town, east of Kampala. Children say that sniffing petrol helps them feel less hungry when they are unable to find scraps to sell or other work to buy food. © 2014 Edward Echwalu 446711
7
A 14-year-old boy washes his only pair of pants in the Nakivubo sewage channel in Kampala, his shirt tied around his waist. © 2014 Edward Echwalu 446711
8
A boy sleeps seated during the day outside of a closed business on a street in Mbale town, east of Kampala. Many children sleep during the day, and not at night, out of fear of being attacked at night by older street children or security personnel. © 2014 Edward Echwalu 446711
9
Street boys rest on the steps of a building in downtown Mbale town, east of Kampala. Many street children spend their time outside of stores and other businesses, in car parks, or inside music or video halls during the day when they are not searching for work or ways to find food. © 2014 Edward Echwalu 446711
10
A boy searches for metal scraps at a garbage heap in Mbale town, east of Kampala. Most of the street children in Mbale survive by picking and selling metal scraps. © 2014 Edward Echwalu 446711
Uganda is failing to protect homeless children against police abuse and other violence. Street children throughout Uganda’s urban centers face violence, and physical and sexual abuse. National and local government officials should put an end to organized roundups of street children, hold police and others accountable for beatings, and provide improved access for these children to education and healthcare.
Region / Country