Government sued over delayed policy on sex education
Kampala- A civil society government has sued the government before the High Court in Kampala over the delay by the Education ministry to issue a policy on comprehensive sexuality education in primary schools.
The suit filed this week by Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), a civil society organisation, followed a series of events including a resolution passed by Parliament banning all forms of comprehensive sexuality education in August last year.
The resolution by Parliament also halted dissemination of training materials and the senior woman teacher until a new suitable policy is put in place by the Education ministry.
The lawmakers, while banning all forms of comprehensive sexuality, said sexuality education emphasises the values, practices and behaviours that are against Ugandan customs and aspirations.
Following the open ban of sexuality education in schools, the Education ministry embarked on developing a new policy but the new policy has never been issued.
Consequences
The affidavit sworn in by Ms Joy Asasira, the programme manager for Research and Advocacy with CEHURD, states that the delay by the ministry to put in place a new sexuality education policy, has jeopardized the realisation of the right to education and access to information.
“Comprehensive sexuality education is vital in providing information to young people for their transition to adulthood as it equips them with knowledge, skills and values to make responsible choices and to avoid sexual reproductive ill health...” Ms Asasira states in her affidavit before court.
She says access to information and sexuality interventions are issues of urgency because any time lost may mean a wrong choice of action taken by a child.
Ms Asasira wants court to compel government to put in place a policy.
The development comes as Sonke Gender Justice, an organisation operating in African countries, has already developed a comprehensive sexuality education and Information Toolkit with a special focus on children as parents across the continent face the dilemma of teaching sex.
The toolkit, for example, indicates that reaching children early with sex information equips them to cope with the mixed messages they see around them.
