While significant strides have been made in recent years with respect to advancing health and education of young people and adolescents, the East and Southern Africa region’s young people still experience challenges in relation to their Sexual and reproductive Health and Rights. These include early and unintended pregnancies, child marriage, Sexual and Gender based Violence, high rates of HIV/AIDS infections and lack of comprehensive sexuality education.
In Uganda, like other East- African countries, Child marriage is one of the significant drivers of adolescent pregnancy. 8.9 million Girls aged 10–19 are at risk of harmful practices, including child marriage, teenage pregnancy and FGM, this represent nearly 27% of the country’s total population of 43.7 million; and in a country with the world’s lowest median age of 15 years.
In 2013, Ministers of Health and Education of the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) endorsed the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Inter-Ministerial Commitment, which ended in 2020. The Commitment largely aimed at preventing child marriage, Sexual and Gender- Based Violence, new HIV infections and teenage pregnancies. The Ministers committed their respective countries to support scientifically accurate, age-appropriate, gender sensitive and culturally relevant sexuality education and promote access to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for adolescents and young people. These commitments have since gone through re affirmations from member states where in 2021, the Ministers of Education, Health, Gender and Youth from ESA again met and reaffirmed the vision of the 2013-2020 and renewed their ESA 2021-2030 commitment.
In spite of the above commitments, a number of East- African countries including Uganda have not yet endorsed the 2021-2030 ESA ministerial commitment.
Due to the overwhelming challenges that young people in Uganda are facing in regard to their sexual and reproductive health and rights and its obligation to the human rights instruments to ensure accessibility to comprehensive sexuality education, it is only of supreme importance that Uganda endorsed the commitments. Failure to endorse the commitments will affect other efforts to promote SRHR for young people and adolescents. The national Strategy to end child marriage and teenage pregnancy 2022/23-2026/27 paints a picture of what will happen if no action is taken to address child marriage.
Call to Action
· It is important to empower and engage communities to speak up against negative cultural and traditional practices that are push factors for child marriage and Gender Based Violence
· Popularize the National Education Sexuality Framework for young people in the school setting and Sexuality Education guidelines for out of school children. This will help young people to access information and be able to make rightful decisions about their bodies.
· Conduct mid-term reviews on the status on the implementation of the commitments.
· Popularization of the Commitments to key stakeholders
Tukwasibwe Sandra
Head of Programs
