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AIDS and conflict fuels Kasese orphan numbers

    JOHANNESBURG

    Officials in northern Uganda's Kasese district have attributed the high number of orphans in the area to HIV/AIDS and conflict.

    According to the District Probation and Welfare Officer, Thembo Mbauta, more than 23,000 children have lost one or both parents as a result of the dual effects of AIDS and the ongoing insurgency.

    Rebels have been fighting the government since 1988, often abducting young boys for recruitment into their ranks, and forcing young girls to become "wives" to rebel commanders.

    HIV prevalence rates in the war-ravaged northern and eastern districts are thought to be between 16 percent and 18 percent.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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