The government and its development partners have launched a Shs12.5 billion programme to tackle child marriage and other forms of child exploitation in Karamoja, where an estimated 52 per cent of girls are married before the age of 18.
The three-year Uganda Hotspot Programme on Preventing Child Marriage and Other Forms of Child Exploitation was launched on Tuesday at the American Centre in Kampala. It brings together the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, the Freedom Fund and eight frontline organisations to address the conditions that expose children to exploitation.
The programme will focus on Napak, Moroto and Amudat districts, targeting between 30,000 and 35,000 children, young people and their families across nearly 300 communities. Child marriage in the region is often linked to poverty, child labour, trafficking and school dropout.
Speaking at the launch, the chief guest, State Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development in charge of Children and Youth Affairs Mercy Faith Lakisa said ending the practice requires more than enforcing laws prohibiting marriage involving children below 18.
Ms Lakisa cited findings from the Freedom Fund and AfriChild Centre research, Growing Up in Karamoja, which found that 73 per cent of respondents in Moroto and Napak reported that girls typically marry before the age of 17. The research also found that 58 per cent of caregivers believed girls in their villages were likely to marry before 18, while 62 per cent of children aged between 10 and 17 were engaged in child labour.
“These findings describe not isolated incidents, but a wider protection challenge that requires sustained attention from families, from communities, from governments, and from partners,” Ms Lakisa said.
She called for interventions that address poverty at household level, including climate-adapted farming, kitchen gardens, savings groups, vocational training and diversified livelihoods. She also urged programme implementers to connect vulnerable families to existing government initiatives, including the Parish Development Model, and support girls who have dropped out of school to return.
“Education is one of the fundamental rights of our children. So putting them back to school, because later we'll talk about skilling, school builds you and shapes your mind and everything around you in a certain way that you wouldn't experience elsewhere,” she said.
Youth Advisory Panel members Mary and Juliana called for greater investment in survivors of child marriage, continued education for girls and opportunities for young people to influence decisions affecting their futures.
“Ending child marriage requires investing in survivors, keeping girls in school, and giving young people meaningful opportunities to lead and influence policies that shape their futures,” they said.
Kimberly Jael Afrikanas urged communities to protect girls from early marriage and allow them to determine their own futures.
“Every girl in Karamoja deserves a future filled with hope, freedom, and opportunity. No child should be forced into marriage before she has the chance to live her childhood and pursue her dreams. We must stand together to end child marriage and protect the rights of every girl. Her future is hers to choose,” she said.
The programme's implementing partners said families need practical alternatives when poverty and climate shocks place them under pressure, while children need safe spaces, education and trusted adults to protect them. They added that locally led organisations were essential to turning commitments into meaningful change.
The eight organisations are the Grassroots Alliance for Rural Development, Straight Talk Foundation, Children and Youth Resilient Initiative for Localized Development, Karamoja Women Umbrella Organisation, Nascent Research and Development Organisation, Hope for Karamoja Children, Kongasis Vision Vision Care and Amudat Interreligious Development Initiative.
The programme will empower children and young people to protect themselves and support their peers, engage cultural leaders and local authorities in challenging harmful social norms, and strengthen government protection systems to improve responses to children at risk.