Resilience in the Darkness

From the introduction

The report provides information on the conditions and security of night commuters in Gulu and Kitgum Districts. The section on Gulu does not provide as much detail as the Kitgum section due to fewer investigations conducted in Gulu. The Women's Commission For Refugee Women and Children was unable to conduct specific investigations amongst the night commuters in Gulu due to a new shelter policy instructing night commuters to not answer questions from nonstaff members.

Interviews were conducted at the same sites as the December 2003 investigation – in Kitgum at St. Joseph’s Mission Hospital, Kitgum Government Hospital and Kitgum Public School, and in Gulu at Noah’s Ark Night Commuter Center. The bus park and shop verandahs in Kitgum were not revisited, but reports of night commuter activity in these spaces were provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Sample questions used in interviews with night commuters are attached. The report describes current strategies and activities implemented by humanitarian assistance agencies.

Each section provides an overview on sleeping accommodations; basic health and sanitation and safety and security. There are separate sections discussing the impact of gangs on the night commuters, and on gender based violence. The report concludes with a section on responses to the night commuter crisis and recommendations.

The report provides a glimpse into the continuing night commuter conditions and is not comprehensive. The issues covered in this report need continued investigation and documentation, and call for an immediate and comprehensive response from the international community.

Recommendations include:

• The government of Uganda (GOU) should reexamine existing laws and rules that regulate military behavior and conduct. The existing laws should be scrutinised to ensure that they match international standards, and where necessary, new codes of conduct should be established. The GOU should ensure that all
  government military personnel are trained in these codes of conduct and are held accountable to them.
• District officials should assess the effectiveness of their partnership and communication with the community based organisations to ensure that they foster a collaborative approach with community groups.
• Humanitarian assistance agencies, government officials and security personnel should involve night commuters in decision making processes that will affect their security and wellbeing.
• The protection officers should act as advocates and monitors for night commuters and other displaced youth.
• Volunteers and administrators should receive training in child rights. NGOs that fund or supervise centers should monitor the treatment of night commuters and provide them with a confidential and child friendly reporting system.
• Confidentiality and protection of rape survivors should be ensured during investigations and follow up actions. Survivors should be offered confidential testing and counseling.
• Volunteers at night commuter centers should be trained in identifying rape survivors and providing a first line of confidential communication including recommending them for comprehensive clinical care and professional counseling.
• The GOU and Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) should continue to explore a peaceful negotiation to end the conflict, while at the same time take the necessary steps to reduce civilian casualties and abuse of children’s rights as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the optional protocol to the convention on CRC on the Involvement of children in armed conflict, and further supported in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.