Abstract:
The unprecedented novel Coronavirus disease, COVID-19, which
emerged in December 2019 has been labeled “disease X” by the World
Health Organization (WHO) based on its rate and extent of spread as
well as harsh ramifications. In response, different nations have adopted
different management approaches hinging on various considerations,
among them the WHO recommendations. Uganda has incorporated
lockdowns, a measure that has affected schools, hospitals, businesses,
places of worship, markets, public transport, and a rise in abuse of
human rights in the form of police brutality, and domestic violence [1].
However, contextual factors such as socioeconomic realities and poverty
pose a different set of problems for the mitigation and suppression of
efforts for COVID-19, especially for vulnerable populations. Eventually,
the effects of these interventions pitch down to individual citizens but
invariably disproportionately affect vulnerable populations such as street
children. This commentary examines the effects of mitigation efforts of
COVID-19 on street children who roam the streets of Ugandan cities and
whose plight barely gets on the research as well as policy agenda [2].
This paper also draws parallels with similar stories from street children in
a few other African countries.
