Impact of COVID-19 on Human Trafficking in Uganda

While the primary focus of COVID-19 responses are the public-health and safety implications of the pandemic, other factors such as the political, economic, and social implications cannot be ignored. The implementation of lockdown restrictions in Uganda has helped flatten the curve of infections and as at the 13th of July 2020, Uganda had recorded just over 1000 COVID-19 cases with reportedly zero casualties. Although the measures that have been implemented in Uganda have so far helped slow the rate of infections, and prevented any COVID-19 related deaths, the socio-economic implications carry the potential of exacerbating risks that can lead to human trafficking. These include poverty, unemployment, and inequality.This Brief examines how the pandemic could affect victims/survivors of human trafficking and the potential of the pandemic to heighten the risks and vulnerabilities to human trafficking. It further pays specific attention to the impact of COVID-19 on child trafficking, and the possibilities of the pandemic to exacerbate vulnerabilities of Uganda’s refugee population to human trafficking.