Museveni cautions youth against engaging in early sex

President Museveni has urged young people to abstain from sex and to focus on their studies until they are old enough and prepared to face the world.

The President made the remarks at celebrations to mark Worlds Aids Day on December 1.

The president asked parents to spend quality time with their children, set an example for them to follow, equipping the children with skills on how to deal with peer pressure, understanding and discussing unique needs of their children.


“We should continue to disseminate information on abstinence, being faithful and correct and consistent condom use to prevent HIV. We should increase knowledge on benefits of HIV testing, treatment and drug adherence as the pathway to viral suppression,” he advised.  
 
He urged young people not to be in a hurry to have sex because there are many consequences that they will not be in position to handle.

“You should first focus on your education and prepare well to manage your families in future. I urge the men not to live reckless lifestyles. Be responsible for your lives, your partners and your families,” he said.

Available data shows that there are about 37.7 million people who are living with HIV globally, 1.5 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2020 alone, 73% of adults living with HIV received lifelong Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and 680,000 people died from HIV-related illness.  

In Uganda HIV prevalence reduced to 5.4% in 2020 from 18% in the ’80s. 1.4 million people are living with HIV and of these 1.2 million are on treatment.  

Museveni lashed out at doctors who he says have prioritized making money instead of sensitizing the population against diseases they can potentially avoid. 

He urged religious leaders and cultural leaders to talk to the people and use every opportunity to remind them to be responsible.
“To all Ugandans, avoid stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. It shows lack of information to discriminate against people living with HIV because this only escalates the problem,” he noted.