Child trafficking has become rampant in Uganda even as cases of physical violence continue to rise in the country despite a law prohibiting the act.

Development Diaries reports that available data shows that over 80 percent of the individuals trafficked in the country are children.

This development, also reported by the Uganda Child Rights NGO Network (UCRNN), calls for concern as Uganda is a signatory to the United Nations Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Children and the Africa Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Children.

About 59 percent of girls and 68 percent of boys in Uganda have experienced physical violence that threatens and halts their holistic and positive development, according to data from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

While the legal framework for the protection and promotion of children’s rights has been enhanced with the enactment of the Children (Amendment) Act 2016, there still exists a wide gap in terms of the enforcement of the law.

Development Diaries calls for the strengthening of collaboration between Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and the police to ensure that offenders are arrested and prosecuted under the child protection law in the country.