It is estimated that 200,000 children in Uganda have a parent in prison at any one time. Children of prisoners in Uganda and across Africa face many violations of their rights when their parents or primary caregivers are arrested and detained. They are confronted with the trauma of separation but also have to contend with subtle and not so subtle stigma and discrimination because of their parent’s involvement with the criminal justice system. Children living in prison with their mothers often live in intolerable conditions with inadequate access to nutrition, play and education.
In 2013, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child adopted its first ever General Comment on the rights of children when their parents or primary caregivers are in conflict with the law. This research conducted jointly by the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative and PRI assesses to what extent the guidance contained in the General Comment has been implemented in Uganda, highlighting some of the gaps that need to be filled.
