Stolen Children: Abduction and Recruitment in Northern Uganda

• NCJ Number: 199964
• Author(s): Jo Becker; Tony Tate
• Date Published: March 2003
• Length: 28 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
• Corporate Author: Human Rights Watch
• Sale Source: Human Rights Watch
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Human Rights Watch, Vol. 15, No. 7(A), March 2003.

Annotation

Based on field research conducted in northern Uganda in February 2003, this report documents the abduction, military recruitment, and enslavement of children by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and presents recommendations for countering this human rights violation.

Abstract

The field research included interviews with 18 children who had been abducted by the LRA and 3 others who are now young adults but were abducted as children. Their time in LRA captivity ranged from several weeks to 10 years; the majority of those interviewed had been abducted since early 2002. Human Rights Watch investigators also conducted numerous interviews with representatives of nongovernmental organizations, religious and civic leaders, UNICEF, local government officials, and representatives of the Ugandan People's Defense Force. Since June of 2002, an estimated 5,000 children have been abducted from their homes and communities. Those abducted have been subjected to brutal treatment as soldiers, laborers, and sexual slaves. Children have been targets of LRA abductions throughout the conflict between the LRA and the Ugandan Government in the northern part of Uganda, a conflict which began in 1986. Children are abducted from their homes, schools, and off the streets. The threat of abduction has made children throughout the region fear for their safety. Children are also recruited as soldiers by the Ugandan Government. Boys as young as 12 are lured into joining the Local Defense Units with promises of money. Human Rights Watch calls on the LRA to immediately stop abducting children and to immediately release all children from captivity. Human Rights Watch also urges the Ugandan Government to immediately end all recruitment of children and to identify and demobilize all children in military units. Specific recommendations are directed to the LRA, the Ugandan government, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, UNICEF, donor countries to Uganda, and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. A list of 2002 Human Rights Watch publications