National dialogue confronts sexual misconduct in schools
Violence against children undermines not only their growth and development, but also our national commitment to education!"
Policymakers, education leaders, and child protection advocates gathered for a two-day dialogue that was funded by the Swedish Government through UNICEF and convened by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES). They laid bare the findings of recent sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) risk assessments, particularly in Uganda's refugee-hosting districts, where some schools have become epicentres of abuse.
Barno Mukhamadieva, UNICEF Uganda's Chief of Basic Education and Adolescent Development (BEAD), delivered the keynote address, emphasizing that schools must be safe, inclusive environments that nurture every child's potential. "The purpose of this national consultative dialogue is not just to talk, but to develop risk mitigation plans that make our schools safer," she said.
Mukhamadieva stressed the importance of safeguarding not just as a policy obligation, but as a moral and national imperative tied to Uganda's broader development goals. "If we fail to provide safety in our schools, we cannot achieve SDG 3 on health, SDG 4 on education, or SDG 5 on gender equality," she added.
Government pledges to protect vulnerable children
During the high-level engagement, the Commissioner for Secondary Education at the Ministry of Education and Sports, Juliet Muzoora reaffirmed the government's commitment to building a safe learning environment, especially in refugee-hosting districts where risks of sexual exploitation and abuse are most acute. "Violence against children undermines not only their growth and development, but also our national commitment to education," she noted. The ministry’s pledge includes finalizing the Gender in Education Strategy, enforcing re-entry guidelines for child mothers, and integrating violence against children indicators into the Education Management Information System (EMS).
Refugees and Sexual Exploitation Abuse
In their presentation, UNHCR outlined growing protection challenges in refugee settlements such as Kyaka II, Kyangwali, Palabek, and Bidibidi, including gaps in mental health support and increased risks of SEA particularly within school settings.
UNICEF has taken a lead role in strengthening interagency coordination to safeguard vulnerable children.
Speaking on this commitment, Fatima Yonis, Programme Specialist at UNICEF Uganda, said: “Today’s dialogue marks a pivotal step in our collective journey towards safeguarding children in Uganda’s schools. We are committed to strengthening reporting mechanisms, enhancing awareness, and ensuring that no child suffers in silence.
Despite years of effort and layers of policy, the SAUTI 116 Helpline, a key reporting platform for sexual abuse cases across the country continues to expose cracks in child safety.
According to Allen Tushabomwe Batwale from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), abuse is often reported long after the fact. Well past the window for urgent medical care or justice.
"Worse still, some caregivers turn a blind eye or even collude with perpetrators, choosing silence in exchange for money or to 'keep the family name clean.' These betrayals speak to deeper systemic failures, where police interference, slow investigations, and legal red tape leave survivors stranded and offenders free to strike," Batwale said.
Challenges in reporting and system failures
Saidi Nsamba, Principal Education Officer in the Ministry of Education and Sports Guidance and Counselling department, acknowledged the magnitude of sexual misconduct in Uganda's schools, describing it as a deep-rooted blight on society that begins within communities themselves. "It's one of the big challenges affecting enrolment, attendance, and progression," he said. "Even when there is abuse and exploitation, the level of reporting becomes minimal, especially where power dynamics are at play or the perpetrator is seen as influential."
Youth perspectives reveal barriers to reporting
Another jarring concern raised during the dialogue was the alarming number of beneficiaries who remain unaware that humanitarian aid is free and should never be exchanged for sexual favours.
A presentation of a U-Report poll of over 13,500 young Ugandans, conducted in March 2025, revealed that while most respondents were aware that humanitarian assistance is provided free of charge, nearly a third were not, posing heightened risks of sexual exploitation and abuse.
Fatuma Namusoke, a U-Report Programme Assistant with UNICEF Uganda, highlighted the urgency of acting on these insights: "We're working to strengthen feedback mechanisms, integrate community-based safeguarding structures, and build the capacity of frontline responders to handle cases with sensitivity and accountability," she said.
Breaking down barriers through thematic groups
At the dialogue, participants shared gut-wrenching accounts of the tough cases they've had to solve, mediate, or help prosecute while working in the field, or even in their neighbourhoods; from child abduction and forced marriage to sodomy and aggravated defilement.
Participants were then divided into five thematic groups and tasked with examining key gaps and proposing actionable solutions to these problems that had seeped not just into schools but all societal crevices. Key recommendations included clarifying investigative processes, developing child-friendly awareness materials, strengthening community-based reporting systems, addressing infrastructure and supervision gaps, and creating a centralized database to track cases and perpetrators.
Strengthening reporting and response mechanisms
One promising example of a coordinated school-community approach came on the second day of the dialogue from Joyce Atimango of Trailblazers Mentoring Foundation (TMF) which works in tandem with UNICEF Uganda. TMF presented efforts to strengthen the Reporting, Tracking, Referral, and Response (RTRR) mechanisms for sexual misconduct in Ugandan schools. Key school-based models involve senior teachers, mentors, student leaders, and designated focal points.
According to Jamsbond Anywar, a Child Protection Officer at UNICEF Uganda, the agency’s support includes both technical assistance and financial resources to implement a range of interventions focused on prevention, response, and advocacy.
"This includes supporting the development and implementation of policies, guidelines, and standards that address sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment in schools, as well as the roll-out of the Ministry's reporting, tracking, and referral mechanisms," he explained.
