Uganda’s Prejudices Proving Fatal

 

Social stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS remains one of the biggest threats to prevention of the disease.

Anti-homosexuality campaigns and laws have fuelled fear and hatred of queers.

In February 2014, the Ugandan parliament signed into law The Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act. In August 2014, the Act was ruled invalid by the Constitutional Court of Uganda. Prior to this bill, homosexuality has been illegal in Uganda since British Colonial rule, punishable by up to 14 years incarceration.

Evangelists from the USA have been criticized for allegedly contributing to homophobia and hatred in Uganda. These religious groups have made significant monetary contributions to the Ugandan government and used their financial position in order to gain power in a social, political and economic context. With heavy involvement in the education system, the views of these Evangelical missionaries have been taught from a young age, thus normalising views that incite hatred.

Pastor Scott Lively who has been called “‘father’ of the anti-gay movements [in Uganda]” wrote on a blog on his website that “Since the alternative to passing this bill is to allow the continuing, rapid, foreigner-driven homosexualization of Ugandan culture, I am giving the revised Anti Homosexuality Bill my support.” The Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) alleged “Lively’s involvement in anti-gay efforts in Uganda, including his active participation in a conspiracy to strip away fundamental rights from LGBT persons constitutes persecution”.

Human Rights Watch maintains that abstinence programs are damaging and “leave Uganda’s children at risk of HIV”. It has been called damaging to not educate young people on all methods available for preventing HIV/AIDS as it is unrealistic to expect all people to abstain from sexual activity prior to marriage and to have one sexual partner in their lives.

PEPFAR, the US government’s initiative to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been shown to be feeding funds through religious organisations that hold abstinence at the centre of the fight against HIV. These organisations have condemned the use of condoms, a contraceptive method that has proven effective in the prevention of HIV. According to the HIV and AIDS Uganda Country Progress Report 2013, condom use declined significantly in Uganda between 2005 and 2011. Condom use of people with more than one sexual partner is at less than 30% according to the 2014 UNAIDS Fast Track report. Father Peter West, a missionary with the Catholic organisation, Human Life International wrote that HLI will continue “defeating the contraceptive mentality to get Uganda back on the right track to saving lives from HIV/AIDS”.

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As illustrated above, the prevalence of HIV in Ugandan’s between the ages of 15 and 49 increased from 6.9% in 2001 to 7.2% in 2011. During this time, Uganda became the Eastern African country with the highest percentage of people living with HIV/AIDS. Meanwhile, the percentage of Kenyan’s living with HIV decreased, from 8.5% to 6.2%

With around one and a half million Ugandans living with HIV/AIDS and around 30 000 deaths from the disease alone in 2015 it is evident that the elimination of HIV is not eminent.

QUICK STATS HIV AIDS estimates —2015: (From UN AIDS Organisation)

Number of people living with HIV—1 500 000 [1 300 000 – 1 600 000]

Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate—7.1% [6.6% – 7.7%]

Adults aged 15 and over living with HIV—1 400 000 [1 300 000 – 1 500 000]

Women aged 15 and over living with HIV—790 000 [730 000 – 870 000]

Children aged 0 to 14 living with HIV—96 000 [84 000 – 110 000]

Deaths due to AIDS— 28 000 [22 000 – 35 000]

Orphans due to AIDS aged 0 to 17—660 000 [550 000 – 790 000]

 

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