| Last Updated: Tuesday, 14 October, 2003, 13:57 GMT 14:57 UK |
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Museveni 'to ban' circumcision | |||
The traditionalists say that such a move would be regarded as interference in people's cultures and would be resisted strongly. The circumcision of boys is practised by a small minority of Ugandans but it is extremely common elsewhere in Africa. President Museveni was quoted by the government-owned New Vision newspaper as saying that the cultural practice of circumcision endangered the lives of youths by spreading HIV/Aids. "I do not care about losing votes... I cannot look for votes from people who may die tomorrow after getting infected during the circumcision rituals," he told youth leaders attending a workshop on HIV/Aids. Public circumcision The secretary general of the Uganda National Council of Traditional Healers and Herbalists (Nacotha), Msazizi Karim, says it would be wrong to try and solve the problem of HIV/Aids by banning the practice.
"The practice of circumcision gives people their identity... interference in people's age-old cultures will not produce the desired results," Mr Karim told BBC News Online. President Museveni suggested that he might be forced - as a first step - to organise properly qualified medical personnel to carry out public circumcision so as to protect the interests of the communities that practice it. But Mr Karim says that those who carry out circumcision rituals now understand better how HIV/Aids spreads and are taking steps to minimize the possibility of their patients contracting the disease. "The traditional surgeons use herbs not only to cure their patients but also to ensure the knives used are sterile," he said. He says that instead of encroaching on the people's traditions the government should be encouraging the surgeons and the traditional leaders - who enjoy grassroots support - to make their communities aware of the disease. "They know what makes the people tick and can work on that to change their attitudes... government directives or legislation will not," said Mr Karim.
Political commitment Uganda has been hailed as an example of how Aids can be tackled with government backing for nationwide prevention efforts. The government's strategy involves education on the importance of abstinence, being faithful to one's partner and the use of condoms. Some 600,000 adults and children were infected with HIV by the end of 2001, according to United Nations figures but Aids infection levels have drastically fallen in the past decade. International health agencies say that Uganda's success was a result of political commitment at the highest levels of government, coupled with an openness about the disease. | |||
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