No Safe Place to Call Home

Executive Summary

Amongst the growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Uganda are an estimated 50,000 people known as “night commuters” – most of them children, adolescents and women – who flee their homes or IDP camps each night for town centers seeking safety from attack by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). These night commuters represent only a small portion of the IDP population, but the situation dramatically illustrates how inadequate protection has led to increasing violence against children and adolescents.

Many adolescent girls and boys have reported cases of sexual violence against night commuters en route to and at sleeping centers, exposing night commuters to the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Survivors of rape also risk stigmatisation and have little access to medical, legal or counseling assistance. Furthermore, rape survivors suffer trauma and mental suffering from the abuse. Night commuters report inadequate adult supervision of sleeping spaces or humanitarian support and protection.

IDPs say the government of Uganda (GOU) and its military, the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) could and should be doing more to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and provide IDPs basic physical security. Additionally, many members of Ugandan civil society believe the GOU and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) should be taking stronger measures to facilitate a peaceful end to the conflict. In the absence of adequate protection by the government of Uganda, IDPs have increasingly turned to the use of government-supported local defense units (LDUs) to protect their communities. However, the GOU is doing too little to monitor its LDU recruitment, training and activity. Despite the GOU’s claims that it does not use child soldiers, IDP camp leaders and humanitarian agencies report the active recruitment of children and adolescents into LDUs.

The United Nations, NGOs, donors and the GOU have failed to adequately coordinate and implement measures to systematically monitor, advocate for and improve young people’s protection, or support their capacities to better protect themselves in northern Uganda. Furthermore, most United Nations and humanitarian agencies tend not to adequately listen to or collaborate with young people. With some important exceptions, adult-led NGOs do not create opportunities for or allow young people to influence decision-making that affects their protection.

Many youth groups exist in northern Uganda that could help expand the capacity of humanitarian groups to reach vulnerable populations affected by violence and displacement. In turn, humanitarian NGOs could help youth groups build their capacity and increase the constructive influence youth have in their communities.
Since the investigation was undertaken, some further attention has been given to the situation in northern Uganda by the international community. However, these issues still need further investigation and documentation, and a more comprehensive response from the international community.

The report recommends:

• The Government of Uganda (GOU) and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) must intensify efforts to resolve the crisis through peaceful means.
• The LRA must end all attacks on civilian communities and human rights abuses, including abductions and the use of child soldiers. The LRA must release abductees. The LRA should cooperate on the establishment of safe humanitarian aid corridors to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches all areas affected by the conflict.
• The GOU must stop all child recruitment into government military forces (including the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) and Local Defense Units (LDUs)); parents and communities should not allow their children to join armed forces voluntarily and should help them resist pressure to join. Monitoring, reporting and verification mechanisms of human rights violations by government military forces are needed. Furthermore, the GOU should work closely with community leaders, including young people, to ensure that government military forces’ training accomplishes the prevention of gender-based violence and accidental or arbitrary killing or abuse of power by soldiers. These trainings should also include clear messages against the recruitment or acceptance of children as soldiers.
• GOU officials and United Nations and nongovernmental humanitarian agencies should work together, and with community and youth-based organisations, to investigate violence and rights violations against night commuters as well as the larger internally displaced persons (IDP) population, and follow up with a comprehensive response to end abuses.
• Kitgum District officials should work with youth groups and international NGOs to ensure night commuters have adequate and safe shelter and material assistance, such as blankets and mats, in sleeping sites. Additionally, district officials should support the efforts of health workers, school administrators and teachers who take advantage of a nightly opportunity to provide tens of thousands of night commuters who sleep at schools and hospitals with vital information and care, including life skills, legal rights and reproductive health. Kitgum and Gulu District officials should work with health service providers, teachers and school officials to establish and strengthen care for survivors of sexual violence, including emergency contraception, post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV/AIDS, and counseling and support.
• NGOs and adult-led community-based organisations (CBOs) must engage and partner with youth groups and individual young people to ensure that the capacities and rights of young people are supported. NGOs and government officials should help build the capacity of youth groups and increase the opportunities for young people to identify their protection needs and influence decision-making.
• Young people need to continue to build links with other youth groups and adult-led organisations to find areas for cooperation. In particular, youth groups need to work together to expand their protection role and build upon their respective capacities.