Uganda: Free Treatment for Sex Workers Launched

Text of report by Jane Nafula and Mercy Nalugo entitled “Free treatment for sex workers in place” published by Ugandan newspaper Daily Monitor website on 3 July

Family Planning Association of Uganda has launched a two-year project for the prevention and treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases among young people, especially prostitutes.

The Executive Director of Family Planning Association of Uganda (FPAU), Elly Mugumya told Daily Monitor yesterday that the project targets young people especially those involved in sex trade in Kawempe Division.

“We are targeting young people in Kawempe Division especially those involved in commercial sex because this group is more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases,” (STIs) Mr Mugumya said.

He said the project would be spearheaded by FPAU and focus on providing free STI treatment and care, awareness creation, knowledge building and provision of free male and female condoms.

The project, worth 150,000 dollars is supported by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in collaboration with the Japan Trust Fund. IPPF is a global movement providing reproductive health and family planning services in over 180 countries. Kawempe Division has a population of about 265,000 people, majority of whom are young people.

Mr Mugumya said the division was targeted because there are so many young people involved in sex trade who have no access to reproductive health services. The LC 3 [local council] chairman of the division, Kibirige Takuba recently said apart from the frequent cholera outbreaks, prostitution was yet another pandemic eating up the division. Hajji Takuba said there are so many sex workers in Kawempe especially in Bwaise, Kalerwe and Mulago.

Bwaise, Kalerwe and parts of Mulago are slum areas, hosting thousands of low-income earners in the city. Hajji Takuba said prostitution was one of the factors contributing to the increase of HIV/AIDS cases in the division.

He said last year, results at Kawempe and Komamboga health centres in the division indicated that about 45 per cent of people who come to test for HIV/AIDS are found to be HIV positive.

The IPPF delegation that met the deputy Speaker of parliament, Rebecca Kadaga yesterday, called for political will in promoting better reproductive health services in response, Ms Kadaga admitted that issues of reproductive health were still a big challenge in Uganda. She said that the issues of reproductive health are still not a priority of the government.

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring Africa. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.