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Mother’s tears of joy as she is reunited with daughter and grandchildren: Daughter was abducted 8

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The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children welcomes the news that Charlotte Atyam, who was abducted eight years ago in northern Uganda by the rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), was today reunited with her mother, Angelina Atyam. At the same time, the Women’s Commission calls on the government of Uganda and the international community to increase protection of children and adolescents in northern Uganda.

“Charlotte escaped on Tuesday, July 20 about 10 kilometers from the northern town of Pajule in Pader district,” says Diana Quick, the Women’s Commission’s director of communications. “She escaped without the assistance of the Ugandan government military. Having worked with Angelina Atyam since 1998, the Women’s Commission is thrilled to receive this news.”

During her captivity, Charlotte, who was 14 when she was abducted from her Catholic boarding school in the town of Aboke, was forced to “marry” an LRA commander with whom she had two children. Charlotte escaped with one of her children. Her other child had been separated and lost earlier in June during a government army attack on the LRA group. In a stroke of good luck, her second child was also found on the same day Charlotte escaped.

For the last 18 years, the LRA has been responsible for countless atrocities against the people of northern Uganda, including rape, murder and the abduction of an estimated 30,000 children. These children have been forced to be soldiers in a war against the government of Uganda, and have been subject to torture, forced to “marry” rebel commanders and abuse and kill members of their own community. The fighting between the LRA and the Ugandan government forces has displaced some 1.6 million people in northern Uganda.

After the abduction of her daughter, Angelina Atyam spearheaded a crusade to free any of the surviving children who have been abducted by the LRA. Ms Atyam, a nurse-midwife, is the co-founder and chairwoman of the Concerned Parents Association, and has become one of Uganda’s leading peace advocates. Rebel leaders offered to release Angelina’s daughter if she promised to end her crusade. Unable to let go of her convictions, Ms Atyam made the difficult choice to demand that the rebels release all of the schoolgirls they continued to hold.

But earlier today, Angelina Atyam was reunited with Charlotte and for the first time embraced her two grandchildren. Charlotte must still go through a debriefing with government military officials, but will be taken to her hometown tomorrow.

“Charlotte Atyam represented the situation of so many abducted boys and girls,” says Ms Quick. “Her escape and reunion with her family is a wonderful event. However, the international community and the government of Uganda must do more to ensure the protection of civilians in northern Uganda to prevent their further abduction and abuse. Furthermore, the LRA must end all attacks on civilians, end abductions, and release children they still hold captive.”

In a March 2004 statement regarding the abduction of children in northern Uganda. Angelina Atyam asked: “For how long must the children of northern Uganda have their rights abused through abductions and captivity and how many should die before the world can act? What crimes are the innocent children being abducted paying for? The One Big Question is: ‘Who will wipe out our tears?’” Today, Angelina’s and Charlotte’s tears are tears of joy.

Click here to read more about Angelina Atyam.

To learn more about abductions of children and adolescents in northern Uganda, Read the new report, "No Safe Place to Call Home: Child and Adolescent Night Commuters in Northern Uganda"