Street children are becoming a concern in Amuria town council, located in Uganda’s eastern district of Amuria. To tackle this issue, local authorities have initiated efforts to identify these children and reunite them with their families.
Peter Paul Aliu, the representative of persons with disabilities in Amuria town council, highlighted the problem, noting that some of these street children are of school-going age. Over the past year, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of children living on the streets.
These street children often engage in criminal activities while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, according to Aliu. He expressed concern that their behavior includes violence, such as assaulting people and sexually assaulting women in town. As a response, local authorities decided that returning these children to their respective homes is a crucial step to address this growing issue.
The initiative is being led by political leaders and is supported by the community development office. Data from this office reveals that there are an estimated 60 to 90 street children in Amuria town council. This growing number has raised concerns among residents and local leaders regarding potential increased insecurity in the area.
In a recent meeting, Amuria town councillors decided to collaborate with security teams to identify and reunite these street children with their families, taking a tactical approach to mitigate the problem. Aliu emphasized the importance of addressing the issue promptly to prevent it from becoming a more significant challenge.
Moses Aliu, the LC2 chairperson of Alira ward, shared that four street children have already been successfully reunited with their families. Notably, all of these children came from neighboring sub-counties. The local efforts to address the issue of street children in Amuria town council reflect a proactive approach to prevent the problem from escalating further.