VINCENT MAYANJA, Kampala | Monday
UGANDA’S successful campaign against HIV/Aids has come under threat following demands by moralists that radio advertisements on how to use female condoms “were immoral and encouraged promiscuity.”
Female condoms were introduced more than two months ago to protect women from contracting HIV, with advertisements on local radio stations emphasising “not only their safety during sex, but also the nice experiences that go with them.”
The demands by the moralists are seen here as the first real threat to Uganda’s national campaign that has largely been responsible for the successful promotion of preventive methods against the killer pandemic.
“The adverts are derogatory, especially when they come on air when you are with your children,” Redeemed Church leader Robert Katumba charged, saying some were so explicit that children were now “even asking their parents for condoms.”
Religious leaders are divided on whether their institutions should promote the use of condoms, which has helped reduce infection rates from 28% in the early 1980s to the current eight percent – one of the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Anglican Church in Uganda has come out strongly for the involvement of religious institutions in the promotion of condoms, but the Roman Catholic Church is bitterly opposed, while Muslim leaders urge religious institutions not to condemn promotion of condom use.
“It is the duty of religious leaders to sensitise their flock on Aids and one cannot be involved in Aids prevention without talking about condoms,” Anglican cleric Sam Ruteikara said. “Religious leaders have a duty to talk about condoms.”
But the Catholic clergy disagree, warning that promotion of condom use by religious institutions was tantamount to condoning immorality and infidelity. They argue that “what should be promoted is abstinence and faithfulness,” but without offering details on how this could be achieved.
Ismail Ndifuna, manager of Uganda’s Muslim Supreme Council Population Programme, said that although it may not be the duty of religious groups to advertise condoms, they should not condemn their use.
According to an official of the Uganda Aids Commission (UAC), Ugandans currently use an average of 80 million condoms a year. – AFP