Engaging men in gender transformative work in institutions of higher learning: A case of the men's hub at Makerere University.

It was noted that globally, sexual harassment (SH), abuse, and exploitation in higher education institutions (HEIs) remain a problem. In Uganda, it regularly made headlines in the media. Yet, it was only after high-profile cases were reported in the media that a spotlight was put on the problem. Moreover, despite there being policies on sexual harassment, changes in reporting processes, and a roster for the swift investigation of sexual harassment cases, sexual harassment persisted in the respective units of Makerere University. The study reported here was based on a project code-named "Whole University Approach: Kicking Sexual Harassment out of Higher Education Institutions in Uganda" (hereafter referred to as the KISH Project). It was action research intended to move beyond feminizing SH interventions and draw in all the key stakeholders with respectively tailored interventions that were need-based. The project applied multiple interventions targeting different stakeholders (including students, academic and support staff, and administrators) to address gaps, prevention, and support for the survivors of SH in HEIs. One of the project components is a "men's hub," which is aimed at providing space for both male staff and male students to hold dialogs on positive masculinity and call them to act as agents of change in a bid to address sexual harassment within higher education institutions (HEIs). As a platform that brings men together to discuss the issues of sexual harassment, the sessions at the men's hub enhanced their confidence and ability to prevent and respond to sexual harassment as well as their knowledge about the issues of masculinity and how they relate to sexual harassment. It was found to be an empowering platform with opportunities for awareness creation and the potential for amplifying the role of men in influencing change by speaking up and acting on their masculinity to address sexual harassment.

Armed Conflict, Intimate Partner Violence, and Mental Distress of Women in Northeastern Uganda: A Mixed Methods Study.

As global mental health research and programming proliferate, research that prioritizes women's voices and examines marginalized women's mental health outcomes in relation to exposure to violence at community and relational levels of the socioecological model is needed. In a mixed methods, transnational study, we examined armed conflict exposure, intimate partner violence (IPV), and depressive symptoms among 605 women in Northeastern Uganda. We used analysis of variance to test between groups of women who had experienced no IPV or armed conflict, IPV only, armed conflict only, and both; and linear regression to predict depressive symptoms. We used rapid ethnographic methods with a subsample (n = 21) to identify problem prioritization; and, to characterize women's mental health experiences, we conducted follow up in-depth interviews (n = 15), which we analyzed with grounded theory methods. Thirty percent of the sample met the cut-off for probable major depressive disorder; women exposed to both IPV and armed conflict had significantly higher rates of depression than all other groups. While women attributed psychological symptoms primarily to IPV exposure, both past-year IPV and exposure to armed conflict were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Women identified socioeconomic neglect as having the most impact and described three interrelated mental health experiences that contribute to thoughts of escape, including escape through suicide. Policy efforts should be interprofessional, and specialists should collaborate to advance multi-pronged interventions and gender-informed implementation strategies for women's wellbeing.

Armed conflict, alcohol misuse, decision-making, and intimate partner violence among women in Northeastern Uganda: a population level study.

BACKGROUND: Relations among and interactions between exposure to armed conflict, alcohol misuse, low socioeconomic status, gender (in)equitable decision-making, and intimate partner violence (IPV) represent serious global health concerns. Our objective was to determine extent of exposure to these variables and test pathways between these indicators of interest. METHODS: We surveyed 605 women aged 13 to 49 who were randomly selected via multistage sampling across three districts in Northeastern Uganda in 2016. We used Mplus 7.4 to estimate a moderated structural equation model of indirect pathways between armed conflict and intimate partner violence for currently partnered women (n = 558) to evaluate the strength of the relationships between the latent factors and determine the goodness-of-fit of the proposed model with the population data. RESULTS: Most respondents (88.8%) experienced conflict-related violence. The lifetime/ past 12 month prevalence of experiencing intimate partner violence was 65.3%/ 50.9% (psychological) and 59.9%/ 43.8% (physical). One-third (30.7%) of women's partners reportedly consumed alcohol daily. The relative fit of the structural model was superior (CFI = 0.989; TLI = 0.989). The absolute fit (RMSEA = 0.029) closely matched the population data. The partner and joint decision-making groups significantly differed on the indirect effect through partner alcohol use (a1b1 = 0.209 [0.017: 0.467]). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that male partner alcohol misuse is associated with exposure to armed conflict and intimate partner violence-a relationship moderated by healthcare decision-making. These findings encourage the extension of integrated alcohol misuse and intimate partner violence policy and emergency humanitarian programming to include exposure to armed conflict and gendered decision-making practices.

"Sex is sweet": women from low-income contexts in Uganda talk about sexual desire and pleasure.

In many patriarchal societies in Africa, heterosexuality is privileged as the single legitimate form of sexual interaction; other sexualities are marginalised because they are perceived as un-African, abnormal, sinful and are repressed. Female sexuality too is subordinated and controlled with it being reduced to women's conventional mothering roles that are conflated with their reproductive capacities. However, there is evidence that women in heterosexual relations have the opportunity to assert themselves and to define pleasurable sex. Drawing on in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with married women in heterosexual unions the article examines the extent to which women from low-income contexts in Uganda express their sexual agency. The findings show that within heterosexual relations, these women are able to express their sexual desires freely and negotiate diverse options for pleasurable sexual experiences. The evidence indicates the need for acknowledging variations within heterosexual experiences and the possibility of positive heterosexual relationships that resist hegemonic masculinity and subordinated femininity.

Challenges in accessing sexual and reproductive health services by people with physical disabilities in Kampala, Uganda.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the universal right to access the same range, quality and standard of free or affordable health care and programs as provided to other persons, people with physical disabilities (PWPDs) continue to experience challenges in accessing these services. This article presents the challenges faced by PWPDs in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in Kampala, Uganda. METHODS: This was a qualitative study that was conducted with male and female PWPDs in Kampala in 2007. Data on the challenges experienced by PWPDs in accessing SRH services were collected using in-depth interviews with 40 PWPDs and key informant interviews with 10 PWPDs' representatives, staff of agencies supporting PWPDs and health workers. All data were captured verbatim using an audio-tape recorder, entered into a Microsoft Word computer program and analyzed manually following a content thematic approach. RESULTS: The study findings show that PWPDs face a multitude of challenges in accessing SRH services including negative attitudes of service providers, long queues at health facilities, distant health facilities, high costs of services involved, unfriendly physical structures and the perception from able-bodied people that PWPDs should be asexual. CONCLUSION: People with physical disabilities (PWPDs) face health facility-related (service provider and facility-related challenges), economic and societal challenges in accessing SRH services. These findings call for a need to sensitize service providers on SRH needs of PWPDs for better support and for the government to enforce the provision of PWPD-friendly services in all health facilities.

Gender and sexual vulnerability of young women in Africa: experiences of young girls in secondary schools in Uganda.

Sexuality is part and parcel of students' experiences of schooling manifested in personal friendships, relations and social interaction. These encounters constitute sites within which sexual identities are developed, practiced and actively produced through processes of negotiation. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in 14 selected secondary schools in Central and Western Uganda, the study illuminates gendered sexual vulnerability within patterns of social interaction and young girls gendered experiences and negotiation of their sexuality. The study reveals that through social and discursive practices, students construct complex gendered relations of domination and subordination that position boys and girls differently, often creating gender inequalities and sexual vulnerability for those gendered as girls. Girls' vulnerability is characterised by confusing and traumatic experiences fraught with double standards and silences. Typical of these experiences are complex tensions and contradictions surrounding constructions of sexuality that are predicated upon unequal power and gender relations characterised by homophobia, misogyny, control of female sexuality and sexual abuse and exploitation, all which work against girls' expression of sexuality. Gender sensitive sexuality education is identified as a valuable site of intervention to address such vulnerabilities and promote gender equality and equity in society.