The German Ambassador to Uganda, Matthias Schauer is concerned about the plight of thousands of children in Northern Uganda who have been denied nationality by the Ugandan system. The children were born to women who had been held captive by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
Records show that there are at least 1,017 children who were born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan to Ugandan women and young girls who were abducted by LRA rebels during the war that lasted close to two decades in northern Uganda.
These children were unable to participate in any of the programs of the countries where they were born and they later returned home, only to learn that they could not be registered in Uganda because they did not have the required documents to obtain a birth certificate. They are now spread across the eight districts of Gulu, Lamwo, Kitgum, Pader, Nwoya, Omoro, Agago, and Amuru.
Ugandan laws require that they produce a medical birth certificate, a citizen card showing that they are Ugandans by birth, information about their biological parents and clans and their original residential location. But the children in this category do not have medical records since they were not born at medical facilities and do not have proper knowledge of their paternal lineage or clans.
As a result, the children have not been able to register their births in Uganda and are still considered non-citizens. This means that they are unable to acquire the National Identification Cards and cannot, therefore, access government programs with ease since the National Identification number is now a prerequisite for opening Bank accounts, registration of sim cards, obtaining travel documents, voting, and registration for the National Social Security Fund -NSSF for those seeking formal employment.
Ambassador Schauer describes the situation as unfortunate and asked the respective government agencies to give special attention and treatment to the children born in captivity. He noted that it is unfair to deny such children opportunities because they are only victims of circumstances.
Ambassador Schauer was speaking to URN during a monitoring mission of diplomats assessing the impact of the Trust Fund for Victims in Northern Uganda being implemented by Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) Uganda.
Karen Boven, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Uganda says that it will take time to restore hope and transform the lives of victims of the LRA insurgency. Ambassador Karen also urged victims of the LRA insurgency to boldly speak up.
The delegations were however impressed by the impact of the Trust Funds for Victims which have offered psychosocial, mental, and medical support to thousands of victims of the LRA war. Patrick Sambaga, the Country Director of the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization noted that they are committed to supporting communities affected by armed conflicts and man-made disasters.
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