Virginity Scholarships in Uganda

It is difficult to find anything good or redeeming in Uganda's newest program that awards scholarships to girls who can prove their virginity--an often traumatic prcedure that stigmatizes those who fail, and those who have been raped. Aside from placing the burden once again on women to control their sexuality (where does this come from? let's control what we can? is that it?), it is a hopelessly misguided effort that has little hope of diverting the rising tide of HIV/AIDS.

As a nation, Uganda is one of the few countries in sub-saharan Africa that has seen rapidly decreasing HIV prevalence rates over the past two decades. Through strong political commitment under the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni and a willingness to openly discuss the HIV epidemic, Uganda has managed to pull down its HIV prevalence by 18 percent (UNAIDS 2003). Under the Bush Administration's financing of Abstinence only programs and the cutting of funds to organizations that emphasize condom use, Uganda's HIV policy has shifted even further towards political ideology, away from choice.