Adoptive parents in Uganda are calling for urgent reforms to the national identification and passport application systems, which they say systematically exclude children without traceable biological parents. Through the Adoptive Parents Initiative (API), a network advocating for the rights of legally adopted and parentless children, families are raising concerns about bureaucratic processes that assume every applicant has known biological lineage. Application forms and verification protocols require detailed parental information—names, national ID numbers, birthplaces, and contact details—making it nearly impossible for children who were abandoned, orphaned, or raised in institutional care to obtain formal identity documents. API Chairman Andrew Rugasira highlighted how these requirements deny vulnerable children their right to legal recognition and contradict Uganda’s international obligations to protect all children. Sheila Kawamara, an adoptive parent and API member, emphasized that children abandoned at birth should not face rejection from their government as they grow and seek to integrate into society. She noted that the challenge intensifies when such individuals attempt to marry or start families, as societal stigma around unknown parentage persists. The broader issue reflects a significant policy gap in how Uganda treats children without biological ties. With approximately 2.5 million children out of parental care and only 1% placed for adoption annually, there is a pressing need to raise awareness and promote adoption and foster care. Barbra Nankya Mutagubya, Executive Director of Sanyu Babies Home, urged Ugandan families—especially fathers—to adopt or support children in institutions, stressing that children belong in families, not care homes. She also called on men to take responsibility for their children, noting that many cases of abandonment stem from paternal neglect or denial of paternity. Mutagubya’s appeal underscores the importance of responsible fatherhood and community support in reducing child abandonment and ensuring every child has a chance to thrive within a loving family environment.
