It’s as well the truth can now be seen on age of consent
Jul 09, 2004
SIR— I wish to comment on the story, “No virgins in Igangaâ€, as published in <i>The New Vision</i> of July 2.
SIR— I wish to comment on the story, “No virgins in Igangaâ€, as published in The New Vision of July 2.
It was reported in that story that the directorate of health services in Iganga district recently conducted a survey which revealed that there were no more virgins above 16 years in the district.
The findings of this research, which involved 3,000 respondents boost the cause of those who have been advocating the lowering of the age of consent from 18 to 16 years.
I have not heard, or at least read in the papers, of many cases of defilement in Iganga district. So it is not like the girls who lost virginity before the official age of 18 years did so forcefully. They were willing participants in acts of sex.
Prejudices about the Basoga and their sex aside, one can sensibly assume that the sexual behaviour of the people of Iganga district mirror those of the Uganda society
as a whole.
If this argument makes sense, then those who maintain that the age of consent should stay at a perfect 18 years, should as well agree that the standard borders on utopianism.
Society is what it is and a poor perception of its true self does not help matters.
Every one knows the difference it made in the fight against HIV infection rates when Uganda came out loud and clear. Let us not bury our heads in the sand.
Ignatius Kabagambe
Makerere University
It was reported in that story that the directorate of health services in Iganga district recently conducted a survey which revealed that there were no more virgins above 16 years in the district.
The findings of this research, which involved 3,000 respondents boost the cause of those who have been advocating the lowering of the age of consent from 18 to 16 years.
I have not heard, or at least read in the papers, of many cases of defilement in Iganga district. So it is not like the girls who lost virginity before the official age of 18 years did so forcefully. They were willing participants in acts of sex.
Prejudices about the Basoga and their sex aside, one can sensibly assume that the sexual behaviour of the people of Iganga district mirror those of the Uganda society
as a whole.
If this argument makes sense, then those who maintain that the age of consent should stay at a perfect 18 years, should as well agree that the standard borders on utopianism.
Society is what it is and a poor perception of its true self does not help matters.
Every one knows the difference it made in the fight against HIV infection rates when Uganda came out loud and clear. Let us not bury our heads in the sand.
Ignatius Kabagambe
Makerere University