Government tasked to address policy barriers in HIV fight

The Uganda Aids Commission (UAC) and human rights activists have appealed to government to address policy and legal barriers limiting active involvement of young people in HIV/Aids fight.

The appeal was made last Friday in Kampala at the launch of a civil society-led project dubbed ‘My body is Not a Democracy’ that aims at increasing participation of young people, women and other marginalised groups in fighting HIV/Aids and sexual violence.

Of the 530,000 new HIV infections registered in Uganda annually, 18,500 are among young people aged 15 to 24, according to UAC.

Dr Dan Byamukama, the head of HIV prevention at the UAC, said at the launch of the project that limited involvement of young people in fighting the pandemic is a great hindrance to the fight against HIV/Aids.

He attributed the limited participation of young people to unsupportive policies and poor financing.

“We notice that young people have difficulty accessing these sexual and reproductive health services but we continue to ask government to increase funding for these reproductive health services, especially for young people if the government is indeed committed to ending HIV as a public health threat in this country,” Mr Byamukama said.

The project will be implemented by Uganda Network of Law Ethics and Integrity (UGANET) and Uganda Network of Young People Living with HIV and Aids (UNYPA), funded by Aids and Rights Alliance of Southern Africa (ARASA).

Ms Olgah Namukuza from UNYPA said although young people are becoming sexually active at an early age, the existing government policy on sexual and reproductive health does not permit them to access the services and products such as condoms until they reach 18 years of age.

Among those aged 15 to 24 and living with HIV/Aids, a 2019 report by Presidential Fast -Track Initiative on Ending HIV/Aids in Uganda, shows that 58.6 per cent had had sex with a non-marital, non-cohabiting partner in the preceding 12 months.
Only 33 per cent of those aged 15 and above had used condoms in the previous 12 months at last sexual intercourse with a non-marital or non-cohabiting partner, according to the report.Ms Namukuza appealed to government to allow young people below the age of 18 access to the sexual and health reproductive services to protect them from contracting HIV/Aids, other STIs and unplanned pregnancies.

Ms Dorah K. Musinguzi, a lawyer and executive director of UGANET, also said there is a need by government to protect the rights of vulnerable groups, especially girls from sexual abuse and underage marriages.

caption: A laboratory attendant analyses blood samples at Mildmay Uganda in Entebbe on April 18, 2019. Experts say many youth do not have access to HIV/Aids testing services. PHOTO/ RACHEL MABALA