6 September 2008
interview
Major (rtd) James Kinobe is the State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. Saturday Monitor's Jane Nafula & Betty Kyakuwa talked to him about the magnitude of child prostitution in Uganda. Below are the excerpts:-
What is the magnitude of child prostitution problem in Uganda?
Child prostitution in Uganda has a face of a girl child.
A study done by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2004 estimates that 7000 to 12,000 children in Uganda are affected by commercial sexual exploitation. Prostitution is a hidden practice largely because it is illegal and little evidence based on research has been done on it.
Children who are out of school are particularly at risk because they are at risk of being trafficked to the cities where they work as attendants in bars, hotels and lodges, or house-maids and can be trafficked for commercial sex purposes as well. Children are usually introduced to prostitution by pimps as a business or because they need to supplement their meagre incomes if employed in bars or hotels.
Do we have individuals in Uganda who are operating brothels?
Yes, there are people who are running brothels but unfortunately, the legal framework is still too weak to allow such people to be apprehended. Sex workers who happen to be arrested from such places are merely charged with idle and disorderly because there is no specific law to address the issue of prostitution.
Some child prostitutes are held in involuntary servitude without the option to leave, receiving only a small portion of the money paid by the clients. People have turned prostitution into a lucrative business that mainly benefits adults. I have received complaints that some people connect the children to wealthy men and they inform the police and the parents or guardians of the child who normally agree to solve the matter out of court after being paid exorbitantly.
What are the most affected areas?
According to the Uganda Youth Development Experience Link (UYDEL), Kampala, urban slums and boarder towns are mostly affected because the level of poverty and need to survive is greatest.
People can do anything to survive, and look for the quickest means of getting money. Many of the children that UYDEL deals with do not have skills and are not in school. So even in their future, they cannot compete with schooled children for salaried employment and may not start other entrepreneurial projects because their education and skills are largely limited.
How is the situation of child prostitution like in the neighbouring countries?
Kenya is said to have the highest number of child prostitutes in East Africa followed by Uganda. A recent report by Unicef indicates that up to 30 per cent of the 150,000 teenagers in the coastal areas of Kenya are engaged in casual sex in exchange for money and we are soon catching up with Kenya.
We have a problem but unfortunately, the society is still shy and not ready to discuss issues of prostitution but it condemns it quietly. We must first admit that there is a problem and then come up with regulations. Banning or legalising prostitution is impossible but it is easy to regulate it. Kenya is said to have the highest number of child prostitutes in East Africa followed by Uganda.
A recent report by Unicef indicates that up to 30 per cent of the 150,000 teenagers in the coastal areas of Kenya are engaged in casual sex in exchange for money and we are soon catching up with Kenya. We have a problem but unfortunately, the society is still shy and not ready to discuss issues of prostitution but it condemns it quietly. We must first admit that there is a problem and then come up with regulations.
Banning or legalising prostitution is impossible but it is easy to regulate it. Kenya is said to have the highest number of child prostitutes in East Africa followed by Uganda.
A recent report by Unicef indicates that up to 30 per cent of the 150,000 teenagers in the coastal areas of Kenya are engaged in casual sex in exchange for money and we are soon catching up with Kenya. We have a problem but unfortunately, the society is still shy and not ready to discuss issues of prostitution but it condemns it quietly. We must first admit that there is a problem and then come up with regulations. Banning or legalising prostitution is impossible but it is easy to regulate it.
What is the government doing to solve the problem of child prostitution in the country?
We have ratified the United Nations conventions of children's rights that have a direct bearing on child prostitution.
Through the Ministry of Gender labour and Social Development, research work has been done with ILO /IPEC to study the issue of child prostitution, child labour in general and child trafficking.
The Children's Statute is also in the process of being reviewed so that we can come up with a specific law that will handle issues of child prostitution. Trafficking in Persons Bill and the Sexual Offences Bills have been tabled before Parliament and if they are passed, human trafficking and sexual exploitation including prostitution would be tackled from a legal perspective.
What are some of the challenges you are facing as you struggle to fight this vice? Child victims are highly mobile depending on the market and level of activity in particular areas. So one day she is in Kansanga, the other day Nateete.
Children also have multiple needs than a single person can address for instance education, health, accommodation food yet UYDEL may only address single issues reproductive health. Providing multiple services at a go is a challenge.
What are you doing to address the above challenges?
We have done continuous resource mobilisation. We have involved communities and talked to parents and local leaders about how to incorporate prevention messages into their village meetings so that the message can still be said after the projects phase out.
We encourage and taught life skills to children to negotiate safer sex and carry condoms for protection. We have taught many children vocational skills such as tailoring, hairdressing and catering to be able to start income generating activities once they graduate from UYDEL to earn income in safer ways than engaging in commercial sex.
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