There has been long-term political repression by the state in Uganda, 18 years of war in the north with the Lords Resistance Army and unrest in the west along the borders of DRC and Rwanda as a result of conflicts there. Women and children and the most vulnerable have suffered the worst atrocities and rape, as always in war zones and repressive states, has been widely used as a weapon to control people.

See the following Human Rights Watch reports for background information:

 http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/uganda0803/

 http://www.hrw.org/women/aids.html

 http://hrw.org/reports/2004/uganda0404/

 http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/07/uganda071503.htm