The Amnesty Commission is conducting thorough inspections of child reception centers in Gulu to assess their capacity to receive children rescued from the ranks of the Lord's Resistance Army.
Moses Drako, communication officer at the Amnesty Commission, says the inspection will cover seven reception centers in Gulu, Kitgum and Pader. He says the assessment will focus on the abilities of the care personnel to deal with traumatized children, the financial capacity of the centers, accommodation facilities and hygiene.
Today the Amnesty Commission team visited World Vision and Gulu Support the Children Organization to inspect their facilities.
Drako says that following the launch of the Uganda-led offensive against the LRA in the Democratic Republic of Congo the number of children being rescued from rebel ranks has risen. He says that in recent days four children were handed over to the Amnesty Commission by the Uganda People's Defence Forces and they, like other rescued children, need to undergo medical and psychological treatment before they can be reintegrated into society.
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It is estimated that 100,000 children were abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army since it begun its war 20 years ago. Only a fraction of these have been rescued or escaped forced conscription into the rebel army.
