By Joshua Mirondo.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a critical problem in Uganda, with alarming statistics. The National Survey on Violence in Uganda revealed that a staggering 95% of Ugandan women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence.  In addition to the physical and emotional toll, GBV also has other devastating consequences. For instance, in 2021, Uganda’s Minister Of Gender Labour and Social Development, Betty Mongi, reported that it led to at least 168 deaths in the previous year. This calls for an urgent need for collective action to address this issue.

The Uganda Youth and Adolescent Health Forum, under the Power to Youth programme, organized a sports gala in Bukwo district, as a way to raise public awareness of serious issues. Bukwo is in the Sebei subregion, located in eastern Uganda, comprising Kapchorwa, Bukwo, and Kween districts. It is renowned as the country’s athletics hub. Besides sports, the Sebei sub-region is known for its strong cultural heritage, especially practices that are referred to as harmful, like female genital mutilation. A tragedy recently occurred in the region, when Rebecca Cheptegei, a celebrated Ugandan Olympian, was deliberately doused in petrol and set ablaze by her boyfriend. Rebecca’s death tragically illustrates the extreme vulnerabilities women continue to face, even as they break barriers and bring pride to their communities.

It is against this background that the sports gala was created. The sports gala took place at Kortek Primary School (in Kortek subcounty, Bukwo district), and was an exciting and inclusive event, with a diverse range of activities. It kicked off with a series of races, including 10km, 100m, and relays. Following the morning’s athletic events, participants engaged in interactive sessions aimed at challenging traditional gender roles and promoting greater understanding and equality. These sessions focused on unpaid care work, such as household chores and childcare responsibilities.

The afternoon featured a wide range of outdoor games, football, and fun activities like sack races and egg races. The day’s sports events peaked in a unique football match, featuring unisex teams comprised of diverse individuals, including teenage mothers, community leaders, youth advocates, and government representatives. The intersex games highlighted for the people in the community – especially the men and boys – to appreciate that women and girls can attain their full potential once a conducive environment is availed to them.

Norah Nakyegera, the programme coordinator at Uganda Youth and Adolescent Health Forum, said that the sports gala is a good avenue to raise awareness around sexual gender-based violence in a fun and practical way. “Most of the injustices faced by women and girls have been normalized in the communities and emphasized by their diverse vulnerabilities,” she added.

While the sports events was taking place, elsewhere healthcare workers provided various sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. This included providing HIV counseling and testing, STI treatment and management, and family planning services, among others. Simultaneously, youth advocates utilized this platform to burst common myths and misconceptions surrounding SRH, promoting accurate information and awareness among the participants.

While addressing the attendees, Irene Cherotich, the Secretary for Gender in Bukwo district, highlighted that the sports gala came in handy because Kortek sub-county is the area with the most teenage pregnancies and female genital mutilation in the district.  “I am also glad that the organizers ensured male involvement in the activities, and since they are the main perpetrators, their being part of this will help to address GBV from its root causes, ” she said.

Sports is therefore an ideal place to deliver sexual reproductive health information and services. It offers an opportunity to convene girls outside of school, home, church, or work. It also offers a captive audience, often without distractions or external pressures.

Joshua Mirondo is a program associate with Transition Earth, based in Uganda.