Situation analySiS

Situation analySiS of Children in uganda 2015Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to be a pervasive problem with about 6 in 10women (58%) agreeing that wife beating is justified if the woman does not comply withculturally expected gender roles. Harmful FGM/C traditions are declining – with less than2% of women nationally being circumcised (UBOS and ICF International, 2012). However,it is still widely practised by some ethnic groups living in specific geographic areas. Amongthe Pokot in the Karamoja sub-region, for example, the practice is nearly universal (95%)(UBOS and ICF International, 2012).Moreover, in conflict situations, adolescent girls are the most vulnerable and the frequenttargets of brutal, indiscriminate acts of violence. Various studies and assessments indicatethat children formerly associated with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and young motherswho were abducted as children and return with babies born in captivity are ostracisedand have difficulty reintegrating into their communities (MoGLSD, 2009). In light of theseinequalities and discrimination, this situation analysis has a special focus on the status ofgirls’ and women’s rights in addition to describing the situation of children in poverty ingeneral.2.1.5 UrbanisationChildren who live in rural areas are three times more likely to be poor than those inurban areas. However, urban environments and the effects of rapid urbanisation exhibit avariety of characteristics that combine to put children in cities and towns at risk. Althoughservice provision and access, as well as child poverty, are less pronounced issues in urbansettlements, the degree of unplanned developments in cities leads to concentrated servicedeprivation for the most vulnerable populations – including migrants and street children.Risks include environmental degradation, unsafe shelters, high rates of HIV/AIDs infections,a lack of land rights and tenure security, contaminated water and sanitation facilities, andhigher concentrations of community violence. All of these are potential protection issuesconcerning children, and are in turn compounded by complex stakeholder responses andlimited municipal financing (MoH, 2014a).The Government’s National Slum Upgrading Strategy provides measures to improveconditions as well as prevent the expansion of new settlements. This strategy moves awayfrom regulation and control through rigid laws and by-laws towards flexible planning, whichenables citizens to engage more actively in upgrading initiatives. The strategy includesspecific references to the MDGs – particularly the reduction of child mortality and extremepoverty.2.1.6 Emergency factorsUganda is surrounded by countries which pose a range of challenges to internal and regionalstability. Although the general humanitarian situation has improved, Uganda is repeatedly26 thE CoUNtry CoNtExt