By Lydia Tuhaise Uganda’s informal markets are places of resilience, enterprise, and survival but they are also spaces where protection gaps are widest. Safeguarding efforts that overlook these environments will continue to miss those most at risk. By centering informal markets in safeguarding conversations and interventions, Uganda can move closer to ensuring that economic survival does not come at the cost of safety and dignity. Protecting vulnerable people in these everyday spaces is not optional; it is essential to building a just and secure society. Safeguarding in Uganda Begins in Informal Markets At dawn, Uganda’s informal markets come alive. Children arrange produce on wooden stalls, young women hawk snacks along busy roads, and men load goods onto bicycles and motorcycles. These markets are the backbone of daily survival for millions of families. Yet they are also the spaces where safeguarding is weakest and where exploitation, abuse, and neglect often go unseen. Safeguarding in Uganda cannot succeed until it meaningfully reaches informal markets, where the majority of vulnerable children and adults work and where harm most frequently occurs beyond the reach of formal systems. What Safeguarding Means in the Ugandan Context In Uganda, safeguarding is often discussed through policies, reporting tools, and institutional procedures. In informal markets, however, safeguarding takes a more practical and human form. It means ensuring children are not exposed to hazardous work, sexual exploitation, or violence; that women can earn a living without harassment or coercion; and that communities know how to identify harm and respond safely when it occurs. In these spaces, safeguarding is less about written policies and more about everyday decisions, norms, and power dynamics. The Reality of Informal Markets Millions of Ugandans earn their livelihoods in the informal economy through street vending, market trading, domestic work, small-scale farming, and casual labour. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, approximately 40% of children in Uganda are engaged in child labour, with the majority working in informal settings where regulation and oversight are minimal. These spaces operate with little accountability, making children and young women especially vulnerable to exploitation, harassment, and abuse. In informal markets, children often work long hours selling goods, carrying heavy loads, or supporting family businesses in environments that expose them to physical danger and exploitation. The International Labour Organization estimates that over 90% of working children in sub-Saharan Africa are employed in the informal economy, underscoring how closely child labour and informality are linked. It is important to distinguish between age-appropriate household support such as helping a parent for short periods after school and harmful child labour driven by poverty, long working hours, or unsafe conditions. In many markets, children’s work goes beyond learning responsibility and instead contributes to school dropout, injury, and long-term harm. Why Safeguarding Fails in These Spaces Safeguarding failures in informal markets are not caused by a lack of laws. Uganda has strong legal frameworks addressing child protection, child labour, and gender-based violence. The challenge lies in enforcement and relevance. Informal markets fall outside traditional monitoring systems, and many workers are unaware of their rights or fear reporting abuse due to retaliation or loss of income. Women and girls are particularly affected. UNICEF reports that nearly 56% of Ugandan women aged 15–49 have experienced physical violence, with risks heightened in informal work environments where supervision and complaint mechanisms are weak. Poverty remains a key driver, forcing families to rely on every available income source, even when it places children and women at risk. Families depend on every available income source, making it difficult to withdraw children from harmful work without viable alternatives. Cultural norms can also normalize exploitative practices, especially when they are framed as “helping the family.” Without targeted community engagement, these realities persist. Learning From Community Engagement Some of the most effective safeguarding interventions I have witnessed did not begin with enforcement, but with conversation. While working with women weavers in Uganda’s Central Region, many participants initially believed involving children in income-generating work was normal and harmless. Through facilitated discussions and training on child protection laws and risks, perceptions began to shift. Women started recognizing the difference between support and exploitation and took steps to reduce children’s involvement in hazardous work. This experience reinforced a critical lesson: safeguarding becomes effective when communities understand why protection matters and how it connects to their own aspirations for their children’s futures. What Needs to Change To strengthen safeguarding in informal markets, Uganda must move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. Practical steps include: Market-focused safeguarding strategies that reflect the realities of informal work rather than relying solely on institutional models. Community-led awareness initiatives that clarify harmful labour practices while respecting cultural contexts. Accessible reporting mechanisms that protect whistleblowers and do not threaten livelihoods. Partnerships with market leaders and associations to embed safeguarding norms within everyday operations. Safeguarding must be visible, understandable, and achievable within the spaces where people actually live and work. Lydia Tuhaise is an Operations and Program Leader with over nine years of experience working across Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. Her work focuses on safeguarding, community-based programming, systems strengthening, and compliance across informal and formal sectors. She is currently based in Uganda and works closely with grassroots organizations to strengthen protection, accountability, and community-led development.