Across Uganda, children who come into contact with the justice system often find themselves in spaces that do not understand them, speak their language, or protect their needs. Their first point of contact is usually a police station a place that can feel intimidating even for adults. For a child, it is overwhelming. Many are questioned without proper guidance, and decisions are made about their lives long before anyone takes time to understand what actually happened or what the law requires.
Diversion, which should be the child’s first safeguard, is unevenly applied. Some children are detained for minor issues that could have been resolved within their families or communities. Others are held simply because the system is moving slowly, or because no one has taken time to check whether detention is even necessary.
Once inside the system, a child enters a process that was not designed with their development or vulnerabilities in mind. They are expected to navigate statements, charges, court dates, and legal language they do not comprehend. Many stand before judicial officers without ever having understood why they were arrested in the first place. Their rights exist on paper, but in practice, they remain unclear, unexplained, and inaccessible.
The people who meet these children along the way, that is, police officers, probation officers, local council leaders, and sometimes even judicial officers often work without the specialized skills or the child-friendly orientation needed to handle children in conflict with the law safely because the system has never fully equipped them. As a result, the child’s journey becomes shaped by misunderstanding, fear, and inconsistent practices.
For those who end up in detention, the environment itself can deepen their distress. The spaces are rarely therapeutic. Children sleep in crowded rooms, encounter older peers with heavier histories, and receive little emotional support. Many leave with new anxieties, new traumas, and no clear path back to stability. By the time they return home, the system has left a mark of confusion and harm.