A 12-year-old boy is safely back with his mother and sisters after being trafficked to Uganda’s capital and forced into domestic servitude.
Charles was tricked by a neighbour who promised him a good education and the opportunity to watch TV.
The family saw this as a chance to improve Charles’ prospects and to lift him out of poverty. Charles was the oldest of three siblings and his mother was doing her best to earn a living by working on a farm in exchange for food. The little money she received went towards keeping her children in school.
So Charles accompanied his neighbour, leaving his home in a rural district of Central Region for Kampala. But Charles soon realised they had been deceived. When they arrived in the city, Charles’ neighbour took him to a property and handed him over to a stranger.
One of Hope for Justice’s social workers said: “Illiteracy and chronic poverty are among the key drivers to human trafficking. Working together with different duty-bearers to end human trafficking is vital.”
Thankfully, just a few weeks ago, we were able to reintegrate Charles back with his family after delivering key anti-trafficking awareness.
Sold into domestic servitude
Charles was locked inside a house and forced to care for a two-year-old child as well as carrying out domestic chores. His boss was a woman who beat him and treated him harshly.
This exploitation continued for four months until one afternoon, when Charles’ employer returned to find him watching television instead of working, she physically abused him. Charles somehow managed to escape from her grip and ran away.
Kindness and safety
He was on the streets for a few hours before a good Samaritan – a kind elderly man – managed to speak with Charles and took him to the nearest police station.
Anti-human trafficking police investigated and arrested the perpetrator who had exploited Charles. She appeared in court and was charged with aggravated trafficking. She is awaiting trial. However, the neighbour who originally deceived Charles’ mother has gone on the run and police are still trying to locate her.
Meanwhile, Charles was referred to Hope for Justice’s Lighthouse – a safe haven for children who have been exploited, or who are at risk of exploitation.
The Lighthouse
Our team quickly identified that Charles had depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We provided Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) to address his symptoms, which led to significant improvements in his emotions and coping skills.
At the Lighthouse, Charles had access to medical care, life skills training, art therapy and catch-up education. He also participated in lessons around trafficking in persons and human rights awareness.
Our team said: “With tailored support, Charles made substantial academic progress. A milestone in his educational journey and literacy development was when he successfully wrote his own name. By immersing himself in the restorative programme at the Lighthouse, Charles showed psychological and educational improvements.”
Reunited with his family
Charles gradually developed trust in the staff at the Lighthouse and was able to share the location of his family members. At this point, our social workers, probation officer and social welfare officer worked with village leaders to trace his family.
Our team delivered human trafficking awareness and positive parenting training and prepared Charles to be reintegrated.
He told us: “Thank you for helping me. I feel my life is complete when I see my mother. Hope for Justice doesn’t lie; I am free.”
Charles’ mother, who received training from our team, said: “I over-trusted my neighbour with my child. Thank you, Hope for Justice, for this kind of work you are doing. You have truly opened my eyes.”
Charles aspires to become a doctor, reflecting his resilience and hope for the future.
Our social workers will support Charles and his family to establish an income-generating activity in their community to provide economic stability.
*Name changed to protect identity of the survivor
