Uganda

23. Protection of personal liberty 

1. No person shall be deprived of personal liberty except in any of the following cases-

25. Protection from slavery, servitude and forced labour 

1. No person shall be held in slavery or servitude.
2. No person shall be required to perform forced labour.
3. For the purposes of this article, "forced labour" does not include-

a. any labour required in consequence of the sentence or order of a court; 

b. any labour required of any person while that person is lawfully detained which, though not required in consequence of the sentence or order of a court, is reasonably necessary in the interests of hygiene or for the maintenance of the place at which the person is detained; 

c. any labour required of a member of a disciplined force as part of that member's duties as such or, in the case of a person who has conscientious objections to service as a member of a naval, military or air force, any labour which that person is required by law to perform in place of that service; 

d. any labour required during any period when Uganda is at war or in case of any emergency or calamity which threatens the life and well-being of the community, to the extent that the requiring of the labour is reasonably justifiable in the circumstances of any situation arising or existing during the period or as a result of the emergency or calamity, for the purpose of dealing with that situation; or 

e. any labour reasonably required as part of reasonable and normal communal or other civic obligations.

29. Protection of freedom of conscience, expression, movement, religion, assembly and association 

2. Every Ugandan shall have the right-

a. to move freely throughout Uganda and to reside and settle in any part of Uganda;

b. to enter, leave and return to, Uganda; and

31. Rights of the family 

3. Marriage shall be entered into with the free consent of the man and woman intending to marry.

34. Rights of children 

4. Children are entitled to be protected from social or economic exploitation and shall not be employed in or required to perform work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with their education or to be harmful to their health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.
5. For the purposes of clause (4) of this article, children shall be persons under the age of sixteen years.

40. Economic rights 

1. Parliament shall enact laws-

a.to provide for the right of persons to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions; 

b.to ensure equal payment for equal work without discrimination; and 

c.to ensure that every worker is accorded rest and reasonable working hours and periods of holidays with pay, as well as remuneration for public holidays. 

2. Every person in Uganda has the right to practise his or her profession and to carry on any lawful occupation, trade or business.
3. Every worker has a right-

a.to form or join a trade union of his or her choice for the promotion and protection of his or her economic and social interests; 

b.to collective bargaining and representation; and 

c.to withdraw his or her labour according to law. 

4. The employer of every woman worker shall accord her protection during pregnancy and after birth, in accordance with the law.

44. Prohibition of derogation from particular human rights and freedoms 

Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, there shall be no derogation from the enjoyment of the following rights and freedoms- 

freedom from slavery or servitude; 

CONSTITUTION OF UGANDA OF 1995 (REV. 2005)  (PDF)

22. General punishment for misdemeanours 

When in this Code no punishment is specially provided for any misdemeanour, it shall be punishable with imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years. 

126. Abduction 

Any person, whether male or female, who—  

(a) with intent to marry or be married to or to have sexual intercourse with another person or to cause that person to marry, be married or have sexual intercourse, takes that other person away or detains him or her against his or her will; or  

(b) unlawfully takes another person under the age of eighteen years out of the custody of any of the parents or of any other person having lawful care or charge over that person,  

commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for seven years. 

131. Procuration 

(1) Any person who— 

(a) procures or attempts to procure any girl or woman under the age of twenty-one years to have unlawful carnal connection, either in Uganda or elsewhere, with any other person or persons; 

(b) procures or attempts to procure any woman or girl to become, either in Uganda or elsewhere, a common prostitute; 

(c) procures or attempts to procure any woman or girl to leave Uganda, with intent that she may become an inmate of or frequent a brothel elsewhere; or 

(d) procures or attempts to procure any woman or girl to leave her usual place of abode in Uganda, such place not being a brothel, with intent that she may, for the purposes of prostitution, become an inmate of or frequent a brothel either in Uganda or elsewhere, 

commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for seven years. 

(2) No person shall be convicted of any offence under this section upon the evidence of one witness only, unless that witness is corroborated in some material particular by evidence implicating the accused. 

132. Procuring defilement of women by threats, etc 

(1) Any person who—  

(a) by threats or intimidation procures or attempts to procure any woman or girl to have any unlawful carnal connection, either in Uganda or elsewhere;  

(b) by false pretences or false representations procures any woman or girl to have any unlawful carnal connection, either in Uganda or elsewhere; or  

(c) applies, administers to or causes to be taken by any woman or girl any drug, matter or thing with intent to stupefy or overpower her so as to thereby enable any person to have unlawful carnal connection with that woman or girl,  

commits a misdemeanour.  

(2) No person shall be convicted of an offence under this section upon the evidence of one witness only, unless that witness is corroborated in some material particular by evidence implicating the accused 

245. Kidnapping or abducting in order to subject person to grievous harm, slavery, etc 

Any person who kidnaps or abducts any person in order that such person may be subjected or may be so disposed of as to be put in danger of being subjected to grievous harm, or slavery, or to the unnatural lust of any person, or knowing it to be likely that such person will be so subjected or disposed of, commits a felony and is liable to imprisonment for fifteen years. 

249. Buying, etc. of any person as a slave 

Any person who imports, exports, removes, buys, sells or disposes of any person as a slave, or accepts, receives or detains against his will any personas a slave, commits a felony and is liable to imprisonment for ten years. 

250. Habitual dealing in slaves 

Any person who habitually imports, exports, removes, buys, sells, traffics or deals in slaves commits a felony and is liable to imprisonment for fifteen years. 

251. Inducing a person to give up himself or herself as a slave 

Any person who induces another person to give up himself or herself as a slave commits a felony and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for ten years. 

Any person who attempts or conspires with another person to induce a person to give up himself or herself as a slave or is an accessory thereto commits a felony and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for five years. 

252. Unlawful compulsory labour 

Any person who unlawfully compels any person to labour against the will of that person commits a misdemeanour. 

PENAL CODE ACT 1950 (CH 120) (PDF)

8. Crimes against humanity. 

(2) For the purposes of this section, a “crime against humanity” is an act specified in article 7 of the Statute. 

9. War crimes. 

(2) For the purposes of this section, a “war crime” is an act specified in –  

(b)article 8(2)(b) of the Statute (which relates to other serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in international armed conflict); or 

(d)article 8(2)(e) of the Statute (which relates to other serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in armed conflict not of an international character). 

2. Interpretation. 

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires— 

(b) “debt bondage” means the status or condition arising from a pledge by the debtor of his or her personal services or labour, or those of a person under his or her control as security or payment for a debt, when the length and nature of services is not clearly defined or when the value of the services as reasonably assessed is not applied towards the liquidation of the debt; 

(d) “exploitation” includes at a minimum, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, child marriage, forced labor, harmful child labour, use of a child in armed conflict, use of a person in illegal activities, debt bondage, slavery or practices similar to slavery or servitude, human sacrifice, the removal of organs or body parts for sale or for purposes of witchcraft, harmful rituals or practices;  

(e) “forced labour” means all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered him/herself voluntarily; 

(p) “slavery” is the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised; 

(q) “slave trade” includes all acts involved in the capture, acquisition or disposal of a person with the view to selling or exchanging him or her and with the intention of reducing him or her to slavery;  

(r) “trafficking in persons” means the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation; 

3. Offence of trafficking in persons 

(1) A person who—  

(a) recruits, transports, transfers, harbours or receives a person, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation;  

(b) recruits, hires, maintains, confines, transports, transfers, harbours or receives a person or facilitates the aforementioned acts through force or other forms of coercion for the purpose of engaging that person in prositution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery, involuntary servitude, death bondage, forced or arranged marriage;  

commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for fifteen years.  

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1), where the offender is a legal person, it shall be liable to a fine of one thousand currency points, and temporary or permanent closure, deregistration, dissolution, or disqualification from practice of certain activities.  

(3) The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall constitute “trafficking in persons” even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in subsection (1) of this Section.  

(4) The consent of the victim of trafficking or if a child, the consent of his or her parents or guardian to the acts of exploitation shall not be relevant.  

4. Aggravated trafficking in persons 

A person commits the offence of aggravated trafficking where—  

(a) the victim of trafficking is a child;  

(b) adoption, guardianship, fostering and other orders in relation to children is undertaken for the purpose of exploitation;  

(c) the offence is committed by a syndicate, or on large scale;  

(d) the offender is an organization engaged in the activities of organizing, directing or protecting the vulnerable persons in society;  

(e) the offender is engaged in organizing or directing another person or persons to commit the offence; 

(f) the offence is committed by a close relative or a person having the parental care, authority or control over the victim or any other person;  

(g) the offence is committed by a public officer;  

(h) the offence is committed by military personnel or law enforcement officer;  

(i) where the person organizes, facilitates or makes preparations for the kidnapping, abduction, buying, selling, vending, bringing from or sending to, receiving, detaining or confining of a person for purposes of harmful rituals or practices, human sacrifice, removal of any body part or organ, or any other act related to witchcraft;  

(j) the victim dies, becomes a person of unsound mind, suffers mutilation, gets infected with HIV/ AIDS or any other life threatening illness; and shall be liable to imprisonment for life.  

5. Trafficking in children  

A person who—  

(a) does any act referred to under Section 3 in relation to a child;  

(b) uses a child in any armed conflict;  

(c) removes any part, organ or tissue from the body of a child for purposes of human sacrifice;  

(d) uses a child in the commission of a crime;  

(e) abandons a child outside the country; 

(f) uses a child or any body part of a child in witchcraft, rituals and related practices;  

commits an offence of aggravated trafficking in children and may be liable to suffer death.  

6. Engaging the Labour or Services of a Victim of Trafficking in Persons 

A person who while knowing or having reason to believe that a person is a victim of trafficking, engages the labour or services of that victim in that status, commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for ten years.  

7. Promoting Trafficking in Persons 

Any person who—  

(a) knowingly leases or subleases, uses or allows to be used any house, building or establishment for the purpose of exploitation;  

(b) produces, prints, issues or distributes, any document or information of any Government agency, which relates to immigration, for purposes of trafficking;  

(c) tampers with, or falsifies any government or government agency’s document or information relating to the immigration regulations or requirements;  

(d) utters or aids any person to utter any false document relating to immigration for the purpose of facilitating that person’s entry or stay in Uganda, or exit from the country;  

(e) gives or facilitates the giving of false information to any authority for the purpose of enabling the entry, stay in Uganda, or exit from the country of any person;  

(f) advertises, publishes, prints, broadcasts, distributes or causes the advertisement, publication, printing, broadcasting or distribution by any means, including the use of information technology and the internet of any pornographic or other material intended or likely to facilitate trafficking in persons;  

(g) in any way engages in the selling or buying of persons;  

(h) recruits, transports, transfers, harbours or receives a child for any purpose without authority of the parent or guardian of such a child; except that this provision shall not apply where the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt is done lawfully, in good faith and in the best interests of the child;  

(i) abandons a child. in circumstances likely to cause fear, isolation, injury, pain or other harm; or to facilitate the trafficking of that child;  

commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred and twenty currency points or to imprisonment for five years, or both such imprisonment and fine, and on subsequent conviction for the same offence, is liable to imprisonment of seven years without the option of a fine.  

8. Offences Related to Trafficking in Persons 

A person who—  

(a) attempts to traffic in persons;  

(b) conspires with another person to do an act of trafficking in persons;  

(c) recruits, transports, transfers, harbours, provides or receives a person for domestic or overseas employment or training or apprenticeship with the intention of trafficking;  

(d) recruits a person below 16 years in any form of employment for the purposes of exploitation;  

(e) introduces or matches any person to another for purposes of sexual exploitation;  

(f) confiscates, conceals, or destroys a passport, travel documents, or other personal documents or belongings of a person for the purpose of unlawfully denying that person freedom of movement, or access to any public services;  

(g) adopts or facilitates the adoption of a person for illicit purposes;  

commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for five years or a fine of one hundred and twenty currency points or to both such imprisonment and fine, and on subsequent conviction for the same offence, is liable to imprisonment of seven years without the option of a fine. 

PREVENTION OF TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS ACT 2009 (PDF)