Breaking the silence: the crisis of child sexual violence in Uganda

A large proportion of children in Uganda experience sexual violence but do not seek help. According to the 2015 Uganda Violence Against Children and Youth  Survey (VACS), among children aged 13-17, one in four girls (25 percent) and one in ten boys (11 percent) reported sexual violence in the previous year.

I have witnessed firsthand how poverty exacerbates this issue. In Uganda, where policies promise free medical care for survivors, resource-strapped facilities often lack medication, essential care tools, or trained personnel. These challenges leave families who are already struggling to meet basic needs unable to seek the care survivors urgently need. For example, survivors of childhood sexual violence are at higher risk for mental health challenges, chronic health conditions, and substance abuse.

Despite the 2010 Gender Based Violence (GBV) Act and The Penal Code, the use of informal methods of settling sexual violence cases involving children persists. Due to the stigma associated with sexual violence cases, such as name-calling, as well as attempts to preserve the honor, respect, and integrity of families, survivors may be forbidden to speak out.

Families may choose alternative ways of settling defilement cases, especially if the child is an adolescent. The methods adopted include receiving money from the perpetrator as compensation for the crime committed and even negotiating for the perpetrator to marry the victim.

There is a dire lack of funding in Uganda, where police departments tasked with addressing childhood sexual violence operate on annual budgets as low as $200. This paltry allocation is meant to cover the needs of thousands of survivors and an entire sector of services.

Without adequate resources, case investigations stall, arrests are delayed, and survivors are left to navigate an unresponsive system. Similarly, health facilities face chronic resource gaps, where even basic care—like antibiotics, emergency contraception, or first aid—is unavailable. Nurses and doctors, demotivated by delayed salaries and insufficient infrastructure, struggle to provide essential services.

For survivors, these gaps represent more than an inconvenience; they signal a systemic disregard for their recovery and justice.

The long-term consequences of these systemic failures are stark. Yet, investment in prevention and early intervention remains woefully insufficient.

Prevention is more compassionate and cost-effective in addressing these challenges. Integrating child protection into school curriculums and creating parental education programs could save billions in medical and social costs.

Survivors know what works. Programs that succeed in combating child sexual abuse actively involve survivors and their communities in both planning and execution. Transparency and accountability in funding allocation are critical to ensuring resources reach the intended beneficiaries, fostering systemic change rather than perpetuating a broken cycle.

Survivors are custodians of their own lived experiences. Their insights are invaluable in shaping policies and programs that truly address the root causes of sexual violence. We must create systems that:

• Provide timely support and resources: Many survivors face significant barriers to getting help. By streamlining processes and increasing funding, we can ensure survivors receive the support they deserve.
• Amplify survivor voices: Survivors must be at the forefront of the movement to end sexual violence. By involving them in decision-making processes, we can create genuinely effective solutions.

Systemic barriers, such as poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and underfunded law enforcement, exacerbate the impact of sexual violence,  hindering survivors' ability to heal and find justice. To address these issues, we must:

• Invest in prevention: By educating young people about healthy relationships, consent, and boundaries, we can prevent sexual violence before it happens.
• Prioritize marginalized communities: Allocating resources to often overlooked communities, such as rural areas and low-income neighborhoods, is crucial.
• Foster collaboration: By working together, governments, NGOs, and community organizations can create a more comprehensive and effective response to sexual violence.

Underfunded systems fail everyone, but they fail survivors of sexual violence the most. Survivor-centered solutions must be prioritized at every level to break the cycle of harm.

Governments and donors need to allocate resources strategically, guided by data and the voices of survivors. Investments must be transparent and sustained to build safer, more equitable communities. Collaborative efforts with civil society organizations can bridge resource gaps and deliver impactful interventions.

My call to action to you is to listen, fund, and ensure no survivor is left behind.

We can dismantle the barriers perpetuating cycles of harm and silence by addressing systemic funding issues, amplifying survivor voices, and investing in prevention. It’s time to move from promises to action, ensuring survivors receive the justice and care they deserve.