Health workers are calling for expanded age-appropriate sexuality education for girls, saying it could help reduce the high number of unsafe abortions reported in Uganda.
Speaking at a Media Café organized by the Health Journalists Network Uganda (HEJNU), Joyce Najjemba, a nursing officer at Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital, said the hospital’s emergency department receives at least 40 girls every month seeking post-abortion care after unsafe procedures.
Some patients arrive with severe complications, including tears and damage to the uterus, she said. Najjemba added that many of these cases could be prevented through wider access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information.
“Through the psychosocial support we provide, it becomes clear that many girls end up with unintended pregnancies and related reproductive health challenges because they lack age-appropriate information,” she said.
Ugandan health facilities provide post-abortion care, including treatment for complications arising from unsafe abortions. However, abortion remains largely illegal, except in cases involving rape, incest or medical conditions that threaten a woman’s life or health.
Despite these restrictions, an estimated 314,000 induced abortions occur annually in Uganda, according to a 2021 report on the status of abortion in the country. The report estimated an abortion rate of 39 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 49.
Editah Kamagara, a legal affairs officer at VISTA Foundation Uganda, said many induced abortions occur in unsafe settings because women often seek care only when complications become life-threatening.
She argued that legal and policy approaches to sexual and reproductive health are often shaped more by moral and religious considerations than public health concerns.
“The government is not doing enough to prevent unsafe abortions,” Kamagara said. “Information about post-abortion care services is limited, and many women fear seeking help even when their lives are at risk.”
Access to sexual and reproductive health information remains a contentious issue in Uganda. Previous efforts to introduce comprehensive sexuality education faced strong public opposition.
Henry Semakula, an official at the Ministry of Education and Sports, said the ministry previously developed a National Sexuality Education Framework, but the document was withdrawn shortly after its launch following public criticism.
The framework has since been revised and renamed the National Framework on Education for Health and Life Skills. Semakula said the new document is intended to guide parents, teachers, religious leaders, health workers and civil society organizations on providing age-appropriate information to different groups, including young people who are out of school.
According to Semakula, the term “sexuality” was widely misunderstood by some members of the public, who associated it solely with sexual intercourse, contributing to resistance against the framework.
He said the revised framework seeks to promote health and life skills education while addressing concerns raised during earlier consultations.
