Armed Violence and Street Children in Northern Uganda, 1986 To 2014

The armed conflict in northern Uganda between 1986 and 2006 was, above all, a war against children. This paper examines the origins of street children in Northern Uganda with the view to elucidate the role played by this 20 year insurgency. Key informants’ interviews were conducted with street children, returned rebel abductees, child mothers and Local Government leaders. We found that when the war started in 1986, traditional social structures especially among the Acholi, broke down making it difficult to control children. And when the population was forced into internally displaced persons’ camps, early pregnancies, domestic violence and divorce increased as much as the abduction of children by rebels. This, coupled with the high rate of HIV infection, created many orphans and homeless children to whom the street of Gulu and Kitgum Towns became home.