Summary:
- Soter Kabyogamu, the senior migration officer at the Katuna border in Kabale District without disclosing statistics, shared that they are struggling to manage Sudanese refugees crossing into Rwanda through porous borders, who are subsequently repatriated to Uganda by the Rwandan government.
KABALE: Human rights defenders in Kabale District have called on stakeholders to advocate and lobby the government to end the use of detention as a means of managing migration.
This appeal was made on Wednesday during a one-day stakeholder training on migration and human rights, organized by the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Kabale Regional Office, with support from GIZ, held at Cephas Inn Hotel in Kabale Municipality.
According to Twembi Theopista, the head of the Kabale Regional Human Rights Commission Office, the training was aimed at empowering stakeholders with knowledge about the challenges faced by migrants and how these can be addressed through a human rights-based approach.
During the training, Kyomugisha Judith Caroline, a human rights officer at the Kabale Regional Human Rights Commission, noted that due to strict enforcement, many migrants fear detention and deportation. She said that this fear discourages them from claiming their fundamental rights unless protective measures, such as firewalls, are put in place. She emphasized the need for stakeholders to examine the circumstances under which migrants are arrested and to explore ways to provide them with the necessary support.
Kyomugisha highlighted that such efforts would enable migrants to interact more freely with public servants, including police officers, labor inspectors, social workers, and healthcare professionals. She stressed that the enforcement of human rights, including the rights of migrants, is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders.
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Theopista added that while migration can be a positive and empowering experience for many, the absence of human rights-based migration governance at global, regional, and national levels is contributing to human trafficking and the violation of migrants’ rights.
She also noted that Uganda currently hosts 1.7 million refugees and asylum seekers.
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Soter Kabyogamu, the senior migration officer at the Katuna border in Kabale District without disclosing statistics, shared that they are struggling to manage Sudanese refugees crossing into Rwanda through porous borders, who are subsequently repatriated to Uganda by the Rwandan government.
He warned that the situation could lead to human rights violations, as they have not received adequate assistance from the Office of the Prime Minister and the Uganda Human Rights Commission. He urged the commission to step in and provide support.
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In response, Hope Bagota, the senior human rights officer in the Directorate of Monitoring and Inspection at UHRC, assured the stakeholders that the matter would be presented to top management and GIZ to explore the possibility of including the Katuna border in their ongoing projects to offer assistance.
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