Uganda Champions Innovative Screening for Child Survivors of Sexual Violence at UN CSW Side Event
NEW YORK, USA – The Minister for the Presidency, Hon. Milly Babalanda, has welcomed global delegates to a high-level side event at the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), where Uganda showcased pioneering efforts to protect girl survivors of sexual violence in humanitarian settings.
The event, held on Friday, March 13, was organized by the Government of Uganda in partnership with the Government of Ethiopia, in collaboration with the Population Council and the Baobab Research Programme Consortium. Running under the theme “Asking and Telling: A Screening Innovation for Enhancing Access to Care for Girl Survivors of Sexual Violence in Humanitarian and Development Contexts in the East and Horn of Africa,” the session brought together government leaders, researchers, and humanitarian agencies to address one of the region’s most pressing protection challenges.
Addressing the gathering, Hon. Milly Babalanda commended the trilateral collaboration between governments, research institutions, and humanitarian partners. She stressed that Uganda has moved decisively beyond policy statements to implement practical, on-the-ground solutions.
Hon. Milly Babalanda highlighted the country’s groundbreaking Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS), conducted in refugee settlements in 2022. The survey exposed alarming levels of violence among displaced populations, coupled with critically low rates of reporting by survivors.
In response, Uganda has pioneered a school-based sexual violence screening intervention, delivered by trained para-social workers within refugee settlements. Hon. milly babalanda described the initiative as a vital step toward ensuring that survivors are identified early and swiftly connected to care and protection services.
“It is an important step toward ensuring survivors are identified early and connected to care and protection services,” she said.
The New York session convened a wide array of stakeholders, including representatives from the Population Council, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the Baobab Research Programme Consortium. These organizations reaffirmed their commitment to evidence-based strategies that bolster protection for vulnerable children in crisis zones.
Participants agreed on the urgent need to expand these screening programmes, strengthen community-based protection systems, and ensure that survivors—particularly girls living in humanitarian contexts—can safely disclose abuse and access timely, comprehensive support services.
Technical presentations during the session drew on practical experiences from both Uganda and Ethiopia, detailing how screening interventions are being implemented in refugee settlements to overcome barriers to disclosure.
Uganda’s delegation underscored the country’s whole-of-government approach to child protection. Hon. Betty Amongi Ongom, Minister for Gender, Labour, and Social Development, was in attendance alongside Hon. Flavia Kabahenda, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender, Labour, and Social Development. They were joined by Ms. Zaminah Malole, Secretary of the Presidential Awards Committee; Ms. Catherine Nassuna, Under Secretary at the Ministry of Water and Environment; and Dr. Angella Nakafeero, Commissioner for Gender and Women Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, alongside other senior officials and representatives from civil society organizations.
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