Debating Sex and Sovereignty: Uganda’s New National Sexuality Education Policy

Abstract

Introduction This article examines recent moral panics over sex education in Uganda from historical perspectives. Public outcry over comprehensive sexuality education erupted in 2016 over claims that children were being taught “homosexuality” by international NGOs. Subsequent debates over sex education revolved around defending what public figures claimed were national, religious, and cultural values from foreign infiltration. Methods This paper is grounded in a survey of Uganda’s two English-print national newspapers (2016–2018), archival research of newspapers held at Uganda’s Vision Group media company (1985–2005), analyses of public rhetoric as reported in internationally and nationally circulating media, textual analysis of Uganda’s National Sexuality Education Framework (2018), formal interviews with Ugandan NGO officers (3), and semi-structured interviews with Ugandan educators (3). Results Uganda’s current panic over sex education reignited longstanding anxieties over foreign interventions into the sexual health and rights of Ugandans. We argue that in the wake of a 35-year battle with HIV/AIDS and more recent controversies over LGBT rights, both of which brought international donor resources and governance, the issue of where and how to teach young people about sex became a new battleground over the state’s authority to govern the health and economic prosperity of its citizens. Conclusions Ethno- and religio-nationalist rhetoric used to oppose the state’s new sexuality education policy was also used to justify sex education as a tool for economic development. Policy Implications Analyzing rhetoric mobilized by both supporters and detractors of sex education reveals the contested political terrain policy advocates must navigate in Uganda and other postcolonial contexts.

Young people’s choice and voice concerning sex and relationships: effects of the multicomponent Get Up Speak Out! Programme in Iganga, Uganda

“…The recent challenges in implementing CSE and the increasing restrictive environment in Uganda may explain the emphasis on abstinence by both adults and youth and in relation to this, the decrease in sexual activity among survey respondents observed in this study. The Ugandan government moved from an open stance on sexual health to conservative beliefs, influenced by US-funded abstinence-only initiatives such as PIASCY (Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy to Youth) and a growing movement of Christianity which frames Christian beliefs as 'local' [12]. As Moore et al (2021) put it-"the Museveni government's initial ' ABC' approach lost its 'C'" [12].…”

“…The Ugandan government moved from an open stance on sexual health to conservative beliefs, influenced by US-funded abstinence-only initiatives such as PIASCY (Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy to Youth) and a growing movement of Christianity which frames Christian beliefs as 'local' [12]. As Moore et al (2021) put it-"the Museveni government's initial ' ABC' approach lost its 'C'" [12]. Religious leaders are powerful players in this landscape, as the Inter-Religious Council is responsible for oversight of most educational institutions in Uganda [12].…”

“…Moreover, 50% of everpartnered women aged 15-49 years have experienced intimate partner physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime [8]. Most recently, the Ugandan government banned comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in 2016, and released new guidelines on sexuality education which focused on abstinence [12].…”

“Sex is supposed to be naturally more pleasurable”: Healers as providers of holistic sexual and reproductive healthcare in Uganda

“…I am going to show you after the interview!” That healers, even older male healers, emphasize sexual pleasure and arousal for young women is notable. Women’s eroticism has long been celebrated, and cultivated, by healers ( ssengas and koojas ) in central Uganda, if in private ( Tamale, 2016 ), yet national, religiously inflected HIV prevention campaigns have censured women’s sexuality as dangerous by promoting the idea that the key purpose of sex is the reproduction of national citizens ( Moore et al, 2021 ). By contrast, as healers advise their patients on techniques and technologies for enhancing sexual pleasure, whether mingling sticks or salivation inducing sweets or herbs, they acknowledge young people’s sexual citizenship by encouraging them to take into account how they and their partners feel, operating with the notion that “sex is supposed to be naturally more pleasurable” whether one is married or not.…”

Is the Mzungu phenomenon a help or hinderance?

“…wherein cultural imperialism persists (Bandyopadhyay, 2018;Bandyopadhyay & Patil, 2017;De Wet, 2016;Moore et al, 2021;Mulumba et al, 2021). As a result, colonial power relations permeate contemporary society, underpinning the operation and receipt of charitable support for children in Uganda, shaping their experiences and choices.…”