Minister Urges Youth to Use Dialogue while Settling Grievances

The Minister of state for Health (General Duties), Hanifah Kawooya Bangirana, has advised youths to always desist from acts of violence while expressing their grievances.

The Minister who was presiding over the International Conference for Population and Development (ICPD) National Youth Summit organized by the Uganda Youth and Adolescents Health Forum (UYAHF), noted that going to streets or being rowdy, has never been a solution to issues that affect the public, saying it has always been dialogue which leads to consensus.

“Going to the streets has never been the solution to problems or grievances but dialogue and engagements, have solved most of the things we think are complicated,” Kawooya said.

The minister added, “Rarely do you find busy people demonstrating on streets, it’s always our jobless and frustrated youths who always participate or used by opportunists, I am happy that UYAHF, is gathering our daughters and sons to discuss developmental issues, “she said.

Kawooya revealed that government is now focused at rehabilitating the youth who have been neglected and strongly impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Most of these had small businesses that were negatively impacted by covid, some dropped out of schools, our daughters were impregnated by their own relatives, so we are reaching out to them through different programs, we want to male some positive impacts in their lives,” she said.

Patrick Mwesigye the team leader at UYAHF, urged all stakeholders to engage in the fight against sexual abuses against the youth.

Mwesigye said most of the youths have been forced into marriages, raped, and defiled by relatives and opportunists.

Later at the event held at Hotel Africana, the minister launched the ICPD 25 Youth Position paper, which showed that 64% of Ugandan girls aged 15 to 29 are unemployed. The paper also revealed that 100% of the young males aged 10 to 24, are heading households.