Damon Wamara, a child rights activist has noted that there are unidentified people who are making living off the street children and have made it a profit-making business.
Appearing on NBS TV Morning Breeze, Wamara said that people responsible for helping these street kids are paying deaf ears.
“This a profit-making business. Someone is making a living off these children and we’re fuelling this business by giving these children money,” he noted.
He said Police have arrested some people but the ring leader has not yet been singled out.
His comments came shortly after six children perished when a perimeter wall at Lohana High School collapsed.
He noted that in 2017, the retract renumeration found out that there are 1500 street children in only four districts which include Iganga, Jinja, Mbale and Kampala.
He said the influx of children on the streets is due to the fact that urban centres are a pull factor with opportunities.
“Urban centres are places where street children can look for a cheap labour or become a source of cheap labour,” he noted.
He said, this is because streets look more appealing to them than their homes because of the fallen parental system.
“We have failed to provide for them. We are failing as community leaders to be gate keepers,” he said.
He said that the biggest problem is the poverty mindset however, there are struggling families who have managed to provide for their homes.
He appealed to the public and government to put in place different measures that will help to mitigate and stop the flocking of children on the streets.
“We need to give them skills that get them off the streets,” he said.
He further urged the public to stop giving these street children money.
