By Betty Iyamuremye

Recently, the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) took a bold bearing and cancelled the operations of three companies and suspended seven licenses of external labour recruitment agencies after having perpetually failed to meet the guidelines for externalisation of as aligned to the national legislative framework and the international labour and migration standards.  

Platform for Labour Action (PLA) has made significant strides in promoting safe and inclusive labour migration in Uganda. Since 2017, PLA has empowered over 20,000 individuals—primarily youth and women—with critical knowledge on labour rights, trafficking risks, and safe migration pathways. Through community awareness campaigns, legal aid, and strategic partnerships, PLA has directly contributed to the protection of migrant workers and the reduction of exploitation.  We shared our impact during the recently concluded Ashoka Fellow Summit under the theme charting the future of Africa and we held a round table discussion on day two of the summit i.e. 11^th September 2025 under the theme Access to Justice and Human rights addressing migration and trafficking.

The Key achievements shared include:

• Legal Aid & Justice Access: 386 migrant workers received legal support, with 70% of exploitation cases resolved.
• Youth Engagement: 7,475 youth educated across 22 institutions on migration risks and reporting mechanisms.
• Female Migrant Preparedness: 2,484 women trained on contracts, rights, and emergency contacts before departure.
• Law Enforcement Training: 102 officers trained, leading to disrupted trafficking networks and improved border vigilance.
• Reintegration Support: 189 returnees supported with skills and entrepreneurship training, with 76% engaged in agribusiness.

PLA’s multi-stakeholder approach, including collaboration with government bodies, and international organizations, has strengthened national coordination and policy advocacy. Continued investment in scaling these interventions is essential to sustain impact and ensure migration becomes a pathway to opportunity, not vulnerability.

The roundtable and Summit Recommendations included the following;

1. Integrate Migration into Cross-Sectoral Development Planning

Recognize and institutionalize the interconnectedness of migration with key development sectors such as health, education, and the environment. Migration policies and programs should be designed to:

• Ensure access to essential health services for migrants.
• Promote educational opportunities for migrant families and returnees.
• Address environmental factors that drive or affect migration patterns.
• Promote access to justice and protection of human rights.

2. Support Movement Building for Inclusive Labour Migration

Promote and invest in movement building initiatives led by changemakers such as Ashoka Fellows and other grassroots innovators working on human rights and access to justice. These movements should:

• Foster collaborative models that scale impact across borders drawing on the PLA shared model and adopt technology to ensure timely legal support. Citizen Gavel PODUS platform is a good mechanism to learn from as part of scaling.
• Advocate for safe, inclusive, and dignified labour migration.
• Facilitate job creation in-country to reduce forced or unsafe migration.

3. Develop and Institutionalize Guidelines for Safe and Inclusive Migration

Empower civil society movements, Ashoka fellows collaboration and diaspora-led initiatives to co-create and shape migration guidelines that:

• Uphold international labour standards and human rights.
• Promote gender-responsive and youth-inclusive migration frameworks.
• Ensure transparency, accountability, and community participation in migration governance.

Our gratitude to the development partners who have enabled us make this contribution over the years namely Anonymous, Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) as it then was and IOM. Our appreciation to Ashoka for creating the space to enable us share our work with fellows across the African continent on this pertinent issue.

For a detailed report, look out for our impact brief in our website publications.

Theme: End Child Labour – Let's Speed Up Action

On 12th June 2025, Platform for Labour Action (PLA), alongside fellow civil society organizations in Uganda, joined the global community in commemorating the World Day Against Child Labour. This year’s theme is a powerful call to accelerate efforts to eliminate child labour, especially as the 2025 deadline for Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 approaches.

📊 The Reality in Uganda

Uganda continues to face a high prevalence of child labour, with over 6.2 million children aged 5–17 engaged in work, and more than 1 million in hazardous conditions. The most affected sectors include agriculture, domestic work, mining, and informal trade, especially in regions like Karamoja, Busoga, and Northern Uganda.

🚨 Why Action is Urgent

Despite progress in legislation and policy, implementation remains slow and underfunded. The informal economy, where 90% of child labour occurs, is largely unregulated. Economic pressures, including rising living costs and post-COVID-19 challenges, have worsened the situation.

📣 PLA’s Call to Action

PLA urges all stakeholders; government, parliament, development partners, private sector, and communities to:

1. Strengthen Legal Frameworks: Amend laws to explicitly ban hazardous child labour in informal sectors.
2. Invest in Social Protection: Expand child-sensitive programs like SAGE and school-linked incentives.
3. Rebuild Enforcement Structures: Increase staffing and funding for labour and child protection officers.
4. Ensure Access to Education: Address hidden school costs and support second-chance learning.
5. Adopt National Case Management Systems: Improve coordination for child labour and trafficking cases.
6. Integrate Child Labour Prevention into Development Plans: Align with national poverty reduction strategies.
7. Engage the Private Sector: Promote child-labour-free supply chains.
8. Empower Communities: Raise legal awareness and challenge harmful social norms.

💬 Final Word

“Child labour is not inevitable; it is preventable. It is a choice society makes, and today, we call upon all of us to choose differently.”
— Grace Mukwaya, Executive Director, PLA

Let’s act now. Let’s protect childhood. Let’s end child labour.