Five-year-old Leah was rescued from human trafficking

Leah’s parents abandoned her when she was only a couple of years old. She then grew up with her grandmother in extremely poor conditions. Eventually, things got so bad that Leah was forced to beg on the streets. Leah was then taken, along with other children, to the capital, Kampala. There, they were forced to beg under accountability adults who exploited them.

The children were subjected to violence and threats

The trip to Kampala was chaotic. The children told a social worker from one of Erikshjälpen’s partner organizations that they were forced to hide in paper bags and sacks. They were squeezed under the bus seats and told to be completely silent and hold their breath so they wouldn’t be discovered during police checks.

In Kampala, Leah and the other children were then forced to collect between 20,000 and 50,000 Ugandan shillings per day. 50,000 shillings is roughly 150 Swedish kronor (SEK) which covers a family’s food needs in Uganda for a couple of days. If the children failed to meet the quota, they were punished. They were denied food and beaten. And this went on for several months.

Leah was rescued and was able to return home

Leah was identified by staff members from one of Erikshjälpen’s partner organizations. They rescued her and took her to a temporary rehabilitation center. There, she received shelter, medical care, support, and psychosocial assistance. Her situation was assessed, and a plan was developed to give her the opportunity to return home. Today, she is attending school and has returned to Napak.

Many children still live on the streets

Leah is far from alone in having gone through this. As many as 15,000 children are living on the streets in Uganda. Erikshjälpen has many years of experience in reaching out to these children and offering them rehabilitation, family tracing, and reintegration. But it also involves supporting parents, creating networks, and building capacity to empower people and government agencies to take responsibility. And this work is yielding results—not only when children are rescued from life on the streets, but also when parents, police officers, community leaders, and government officials who previously lacked knowledge about children’s rights are now joining us in the fight to stop trafficking.