THE ALLEGED “ REC RUITME NT” OF CHI LDREN

The problem of “defilement” of underage girls is a serious and well-known problem in many African countries. Ugandan parents faced with the threat of “defilement” of children (forced or statutory rape) may be fearful of other real or perceived threats to their children. Failing to recognize these fears would be a mistake. There is no disagreement that the acts of pedophiles who try to tempt minors into giving sexual services in return for goods, services favours etc should be investigated and severely punished.

Pedophiles often do abuse children of their own (most often male) sex. This is often misinterpreted to imply that persons who practice adult consenting homosexuality are likely to abuse minors. In other parts of the world, research has disproved any allegation that homosexuals are any more likely to target minors than heterosexuals are.⁸² The slur that homosexuals are engaged in campaigns to “recruit” children originated in the USA in the 1970s.⁸³ Unfortunately, in the early 1990s, the international movement for LGBTI rights was set back by the failure of the ILGA to act in time to exclude an organization

81 Interview with Mr. Modeste Yaméogo, UNICEF Burkina Faso, 31.1.2013.

82 McConaghy, N. (1998). Paedophilia: A review of the evidence. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 32(2), 252-265.

83 The first use of this term seems to have been by the born again Christian singer and political activist Anita Bryant in 1977 in Florida. See: Gay Rights and Moral Panic: The Origins of America’s Debate on Homosexuality. Fred Fejes, Palgrave MacMillan New York, 2008.

advocating pedophilia from its membership. This cost ILGA its observer status at the UN, which was not regained until 2006.⁸⁴

The “recruitment” allegation was repeated in Uganda in connection with the visit by US Evangelists in 2009. In some contexts, public statements of this kind would fall foul of anti-hate speech legislation. ⁸⁵ In Uganda unfortunately, they are part and parcel of public debate. Pastor Martin Ssempa publicly used this allegation in a press conference, the notorious Rolling Stone newspaper wrote about it in articles calculated to whip up fear. Unfortunately even the Church of Uganda statement on the AHB referred explicitly to “recruitment”, and President Museveni did the same in a BBC interview.⁸⁶ Opponents have repeatedly challenged religious fundamentalists in Uganda to produce evidence of recruitment. They have never been able to do so. SMUG and defenders of LGBTI rights – in Uganda as elsewhere in the region - make their condemnation of pedophilia clear on all possible occasions, but others shout louder.

In 2012, the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) considered carrying out a study into these allegations. This would require a calm and highly professional approach to research methods and public communication to avoid contributing to myths and misperceptions. (I.e. it would have to be careful to avoid misrepresentation by extremists.) It would have to clearly define what is meant by “recruitment”, distinguishing it from the provision of information, facilitation of discussion or advocacy for tolerance. It would have to live up to high standards of rigour in evidence gathering, consultation and assessment, and it would demand that the Commission carefully manage communication with the public during and after the study. Under the right conditions, it could potentially lead to a clearing of the air. In the wrong ones, it could become extremely difficult to remain objective and calm.

2 . 8 . 1 FEAR OF “ PROM OT I ON ” OF HO MO SEX UALI T Y

When does providing information to young people who think that they may be gay or transgender become “promotion”?

The danger of setbacks and backlashes is particularly large in regard to information targeting young people. Some Evangelicals and anti-LGBTI campaigners sometimes confuse “recruitment,” “promotion” and advocacy and outreach activities, particularly those intended to reach young people. Some religious conservatives may view any tolerance of homosexuality – especially among young people - as “promotion” or even

“recruitment” - luring children into sexual abuse. Extremists deliberately play on this confusion. A religious conservative may be unlikely to accept that an organization that provides supportive counselling to teenagers to accept their own sexuality or to come

84 http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/ecosoc6242.doc.htm

85 I.e. Canada: see http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/case-dossier/cms-sgd/sum-som-eng.aspx?cas=33676

86 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nw591

out has not “recruited” a child into homosexuality. SMUG Uganda representatives told how fears like these make it almost impossible for them to have cooperation with any NGOs that work with young people. Workers at Ishtar, a Kenyan NGO working against HIV / AIDS said that they were able to get permission to sensitise students at university level, but not in schools.⁸⁷

Development partner organizations are likely to be included among those accused of

“promoting” homosexuality, as happened in statements like this one by proponents of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda: “In the early months of 2009, information came to light that our children were being molested and recruited into gay activities (homosexuality and lesbianism). This was being carried out by organized and well-trained homosexual groups operating in our schools and institutions of higher learning with funding and backing from some Western governments and international organizations.” ⁸⁸

One example of a programme where development organizations were brought into the fray was the UNICEF supported handbook for teenagers in Uganda. UNICEF sponsored the production and distribution of a “Teenagers’ Toolkit” in Uganda. This was criticized by conservatives, including the Minister for Ethics, because of its supportive tone and message in relation to young people who experience same-sex attraction.⁸⁹ (The section dealing with same-sex attraction was short and by no means overemphasised in the publication.) Battles such as this concerning sex education closely mirror similar struggles in the USA. One of the critics of the publication was Steven Langa, a close associate of the US preacher Scott Lively in connection with the March 2009 Kampala conference that led to the drafting of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill (see below).

It is obvious that work with schools or young people in this area is sensitive, and depending on the context, risks being misinterpreted. Sequencing of programmatic and development initiatives is important, so that any such activities are preceded by dialogue and the reaching of certain understandings among parents and community leaders. Especially for hierarchical structures, dialogue in local settings needs to be linked to or preceded by national dialogue, and this needs to occur outside the glare of media where people defensively maintain their positions and try to gain support.

Nevertheless, certain risks have to be taken. As a representative of UNICEF in Burkina Faso pointed out, discussion of FGM was taboo not long ago, and this has been broken largely as a result of development programming that recognized and took advantage of the high levels of tolerance in the country, bringing religious leaders into the discussion.⁹⁰

87 Notes on interview with Peter Njane and Jeffrey Walimbwa, Ishtar, Nairobi, 20.2.2013

88 http://sebaspace.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/a-freshly-rejuvenated-uganda-homophobic-lobby-goes-to-work/

89 http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/676939

90 Interview with Mr. Modeste Yaméogo, UNICEF, Burkina Faso, 31.1.2013.