A child hauls sugarcane in Busonga, Eastern Uganda. Poverty and hunger force families to send their children to work. Photo: LWF/ Brian Salira
LWF works against an alarming rise in child labor in Uganda
(LWI) - Cutting sugarcane instead of learning to write and multiply: Poverty forces many families in Uganda to send their children to work. In a recently released policy brief, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) country program in Uganda presented statistics on the extent of child labor in the region, as well as its successes in giving children back their childhood.
Uganda hosts over 1.7 million refugees, more than half of whom are children. In 2024, LWF documented 5,478 cases of child labor in the refugee settlements of Adjumani, Lamwo, and Kamwenge. In the Busoga region, 98% of households reported child labor, primarily in sugarcane cutting, fishing, and other agricultural activities, according to a policy brief on Child labor in the refugee communities of Lamwo, Adjumani, Kamwenge, and the Busoga districts.
Sugarcane cutting instead of school
"Child labor in Uganda remains widespread and worsening," says Adriana Franco Chitanana, LWF Country Representative in Uganda. "Despite strong legal and policy frameworks, millions of children continue to be exploited."
In the affected families, parents see child labor as the only way to make ends meet. They send their children to collect firewood and burn charcoal, break stones, beg on the streets, or even force them into early marriage for dowry payments. The children suffer physically and in their development. "When sugarcane is ready for harvesting, we are taken out of school to cut and carry it," said a boy from Luuka. "We get cuts on our hands from the pangas (machete used in agriculture)." A girl from the Adjumani refugee settlement explained to the LWF team how she works in bricklaying: "We fetch water, mix mud with our feet, and carry bricks all day. We miss school for weeks."
We fetch water, mix mud with our feet, and carry bricks all day. We miss school for weeks.
girl from Adjumani refugee camp, Northern Uganda
Additionally, the LWF report identified over 700 child-headed households in the refugee settlements. For children in charge of their siblings, their own time to learn and play is over, as they must care for them and engage in income-generating activities to provide for their basic needs, such as food and clothing. Funding cuts worsen the situation. Uganda's Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development suffered an 80% reduction in its child protection budget between 2022 and 2024. For the children in the refugee camps, this means that they no longer have acces to safe spaces, school feeding programs, or psychosocial support.
Defend children's rights
LWF Uganda has been actively opposing this trend for years. The program initiated child rights clubs in schools for 10,000 learners and provided legal aid, psychosocial support, and referrals to 400,000 individuals. It advocates for different parenting approaches and has lobbied regional administration to take child protection seriously. As a very tangible result, 921 children were removed from child labor in Busoga in 2024. Kamuli District passed a local law to strengthen child protection.
Children in a sugarcane field. Agriculture is the main area for child labor. Photo: LWF/ S. Namatovu
Adriana Franco Chitanana, LWF Country representative for Uganda, speaks at a panel with government and civil society representatives in Kampala. Photo: LWF/ S. Namatovu
Changing the lives of these children in Uganda requires time and strong partnerships at various levels, says LWF Uganda representative Chitanana. The LWF Uganda Country Program calls for increased resources for child protection services, the regulation of abusive labor brokers, and the expansion of social support, including school meals and skills training. The team empowers parents, school leaders, and cultural elders to challenge harmful practices. It's also time to update the 2006 child labor policy to reflect today's realities and uphold every child's rights, she adds.
"Let us collaborate toward a holistic approach that tackles the root causes and eradicates child labor for good," Chitanana emphasized during the launch of the policy brief on Child labor . "Together, we can ensure that every child enjoys a life of dignity—free, protected, and full of promise."
