District leaders equipped with skills to prevent sexual exploitation during Ebola response

The training covered the forms of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment; their driving factors; the community mechanisms available to prevent PSEA and GBV

Alex Taremwa
PSEA training
UNICEF Uganda/2022/Balikuddembe
20 October 2022

"From this training, leaders should be able to establish safe and confidential community-based reporting mechanisms that resonate with the needs of the population, especially women and girls who are at an increased risk of sexual exploitation and abuse," 

Achiro said.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated sexual exploitation and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Uganda, especially in rural areas. According to the UN Women's Data Hub, women and children bore the brunt of the violence, resulting in a 25 per cent increase in teenage pregnancies, school drop-out and early marriages.

To avoid a repeat of the sexual exploitation and violence witnessed during the pandemic-induced lockdowns, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a joint training to empower different stakeholders from the districts of Mubende, Kassanda and Kyegegwa on the protection of vulnerable groups from sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) in the wake of yet another outbreak – the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). 

The Ministry of Health, on September 20, 2022, declared an EVD outbreak in Mubende District, prompting President Yoweri Museveni to place the district and the newly carved out Kassanda District under a 21-day lockdown to curb the disease's spread.  

More than 50 leaders, including probation officers, religious leaders, Chief Administrative Officers, representatives from the Police and Judiciary, youths, teachers, cultural leaders and staff of non-governmental organizations attended the training, which took place from 13-14 October 2022, at ENRO Hotel in Mityana District.

The training covered the forms of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment; their driving factors; the community mechanisms available to prevent PSEA and GBV; how cases should be reported; correct evidence handling and storage and the provision of psychosocial support for survivors.

Sarah Achiro, UNICEF's Programme Specialist, Gender and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, noted that the training was geared at, among other things, helping the different stakeholders understand their roles and collaborate to make the communities safer for women and children.

PSEA training
UNICEF Uganda/2022/Balikuddembe
leaders in training
UNICEF Uganda/2022/Balikuddembe

Achiro admitted that the trainees were not yet at well-equipped full with skills to handle cases of sexual violence, abuse and exploitation, especially during the Ebola outbreak, but expressed confidence that the training provided practical steps to report, respond to, refer and follow up cases within their communities, while providing survivors with the necessary psychosocial support.

Dr. Robert Mutungi, Mubende District's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), said two-thirds of all the SEAH cases reported in the country occur in the Greater Mubende area. He attributed this to the lack of logistical support from the Government of Uganda and urged partners such as UNICEF to tackle the structural gaps that impede the district’s response to SEAH and GBV.

"We must empower different units and departments to improve the response efforts. We are not doing enough, mostly due to lack of resources. The police response is usually slow, which affects the quality of evidence collected. When the cases get to court, they are dismissed, and the perpetrator returns to the community. This training will help eliminate these loopholes," Mutungi said.

Representatives from the NGO sector concurred with Dr. Mutungi, arguing that the region is structurally incapacitated to eliminate cases of SEAH, especially while concurrently battling the Ebola outbreak, thus the need to bring on board other partners and NGOs.

Florence Akol, the Project Legal Officer and Shelter Manager for ActionAid's GBV Shelter in Mubende District, noted that the lack of safe spaces, such as shelters, across the region undermines confidentiality and could retraumatize victims who are often kept at the police stations due to the lack of temporary shelters in which to house them while their cases are being heard.

"Our GBV shelter serves over seven districts in the Greater Mubende area. Sometimes we run out of necessities such as food, sanitary items for menstruation and toiletries because we are overwhelmed by numbers, yet we don't have enough funding. With more shelters in the region, we can reduce the pressure on the existing one and increase service delivery in the local communities," she added.

According to Akol, the Ebola outbreak has affected the reporting of GBV and SEAH cases in the region. Only 34 cases of SEAH were recorded in September when the first case of Ebola was announced, compared to 69 in August.

However, Akol said that the multi-sectoral training had given stakeholders a "reality check" to do more to protect women and children from sexual exploitation and violence.

Interactive training session
UNICEF Uganda/2022/Balikuddembe
PSEA specialist
UNICEF Uganda/2022/Balikuddembe