Night Commuters

At the height of insecurity in northern Uganda as many as 40,000 child night commuters walked each day from unsafe rural camps and villages to more secure town centers. Targeted by the LRA for abduction and neglected by the Ugandan government, these children have been the primary victims in the nightmare created by two decades of fighting and neglect. Thousands of women and elderly were also among the ranks of the night commuters, whose numbers have dropped dramatically since peace talks between the LRA and Ugandan government began in July 2006.

Despite being a refuge from LRA attacks, the town centers were never safe havens for night commuters. Centers built to shelter the children were overwhelmed by the sheer number of commuters depending on their services and many children were forced to sleep out in streets, verandas and near government buildings. Efforts by local police to remove night commuters from public places and place them in centers were widely seen as attempts to "clean up" town centers, not provide the children with security.

Torn from their families each night and lacking stable home environments, girl night commuters were extremely vulnerable to rape, sexual harassment and gender-based violence. Perpetrators were often local men or soldiers in the Ugandan military, and even night commuter centers were not immune from such attacks. Few services for rape victims exist in northern Uganda and survivors bear the burden of proof, meaning perpetrators most often go unpunished. The lack of supervision and breakdown in cultural norms also led to increased voluntary sexual activity among night commuters and an increase in unwanted pregnancies and STDs, including HIV and AIDS.

Click here to read more about opportunities and challenges to building a brighter future for night commuters and all children in northern Uganda.