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91% of children in Western Uganda say no to sex, bad touches – report
A total of 707 children including; 329 boys and 378 girls, were interviewed during the baseline phase where 95 per cent reported that they say no to sex and bad touches. Photo | Reuters
What you need to know:
- Speaking at the dissemination of the study via Zoom on August 21, Ms Kirabo Suubi, a Gender Economist and project lead investigator, said the study aimed to assess the post-intervention knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, agency, and intentions/behaviours related to mitigating risk exposure to CSA and exploitation
A recent study has shown that 91 per cent of teen girls in Kabarole, Kyenjojo, and Bunyangabu districts are saying no to early sex and moving away if someone touches them inappropriately.
The January and April 2024 studies on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Prevention Programs in Western Uganda and Zanzibar, Tanzania were conducted by the International Center for Research on Women Africa (ICRW) with funding from the Oak Foundation.
The programs were implemented in Western Uganda by Bantwana Initiative Uganda (BIU) and in Zanzibar, Tanzania by partners KUWAZA III-Zanzibar.
During the implementation, the SAFE in Our Hands Curriculum and Sexual Violence against Children Prevention Toolkit intervened in 10 schools and communities in the three selected districts of Uganda targeting children, teachers, parents, and caregivers in Western Uganda and in 27 shehias in Zanzibar in Tanzania.
The ICRW study titled: "The Prevention of and Response to Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) in Western Uganda and Zanzibar was conducted in two phases including the baseline phase that ran between July and August 2023 and the endline phase between February and March this year, sampling 1,446 children, 1095 caregivers/parents and 129 teachers from the two regions.
In Uganda, a total of 707 children including; 329 boys and 378 girls, were interviewed during the were interviewed.
Speaking at the dissemination of the study via Zoom on August 21, Ms Kirabo Suubi, a Gender Economist and project lead investigator, said the study aimed to assess the post-intervention knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, agency, and intentions/behaviours related to mitigating risk exposure to CSA and exploitation.
“The study aimed at assessing the post-intervention knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, agency, and intentions/behaviours related to mitigating risk exposure to CSA and exploitation, including reporting and help-seeking in 10 SAFE Model intervention and four control schools, and assessing the extent to which the SAFE intervention is relevant to addressing the CSA problem,” she said.
The report found out that more number of where 95 per cent reported that they say no to sex and bad touches, a number which was reduced by four per cent during the final phase.
