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A group of young Ugandans sits together in the shade of a big tree. They are waiting for a break from their daily life. They are going to learn and discuss the topic of the day, which is sexuality and sexabuse.

By Louise Kryger, marts 2010

It is 14 pm in the afternoon and approximately 40 degrees Celsius in Adjumani. The Red Cross car slowly finds its way in between mud huts and playing children to the Arienyapi IDP Camp.

In the shade of the big tree, the youngsters have already gathered down on some old rails. And they are eager to get started. The facilitators have put up illustrating posters on the tree trunk. Today’s session can begin.

Abuses of sex
“The topic of today is sexuality and abuses of sex. Can anyone tell me the abuses of sex?” The youngster’s giggle and they shyly move around on the rails. They are sending each other looks: who will be the first to answer? Despite the many terrifying memories from the years living in wartime, they do not differ much from other young people when the subject comes to sex.

“Oral sex!!” one of the youngsters suddenly cries out. The group of people burst out in laughs and fierce conversation in Madi (the local language). The facilitators let the young babble for a couple of minutes before they determined yet politely interrupts them. “Anyone else?”, “Anal sex” it sounds. “Sex with animals”.

The group of people listens and discusses. None of the youngsters mentions “sex with family members” or “sex with babies”. But when asked if these also are considered as abuses of sex, they all agree on that and a new fierce discussion about the local practices begins again.

Reality kicks back
The next two hours are filled with discussion, storytelling and laughing, but reality is kicking in just around the next corner. It is a reality which is difficult to face and with problems you cannot just talk you way out of.

In two months time, all the occupants in the IDP camp have to move back to their homes. These homes have been buried in bushes and trees in years of time. Nothing will remain from the time when the youngsters abandoned their homes. Everything will have to be built up again.

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