Teach children to say no to sex

I find the recent comments by the former chairperson of Kamuli District, Ms Salaamu Musumba, that school going girls be given contraceptives since they no longer fear HIV/Aids both callous and unfortunate. If the former chairperson had/has school going daughters would she, as a parent, proudly buy a tin of contraceptives and place it in the house for them?

Children go to school because they need to be equipped with knowledge and skills. The closure of schools due to Covid-19, therefore, although regrettable, provides a big opportunity for parents and the community to equip their children with non-academic but critical life skills like self-control.

Just like learning, the discipline of saving is more important than the money one is able to save, learning to say no to sex is more important than being able to avoid getting pregnant because there is a lot of sex one has to say no to in a lifetime.

The leaders of Kamuli District must paint a brighter future for the girls and boys of Kamuli and inspire them to that future. Unplanned births are a burden and so is a life that has to be sustained by a daily intake of ARVs.

Reagan Turakira, Kampala