Every April, the world observes Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) a time to reflect, educate, and commit to ending sexual violence in all its forms. Yet, for many LGBTQ+ individuals in countries where their very existence is criminalized, the conversation around sexual assault remains partial, exclusionary, and dangerously silent on one of the most egregious forms of state-sanctioned violence: Forced Anal Examinations (FAEs).
In Uganda, as well as several other African countries such as Kenya, Egypt, Cameroon, and Tanzania, LGBTQ+ individuals face the threat of being subjected to FAEs; an invasive, medically baseless, and dehumanizing procedure often ordered by law enforcement or courts. While intended to “prove” same-sex conduct, what these exams truly do is inflict profound sexual, physical, and psychological trauma. They are not medical procedures they are sexual assaults, thinly veiled as forensic investigations.
According to Edward Mutebi’s thesis, Forced Anal Examination as a Push Factor and Grounded Reason for Applying for Asylum for LGBTIQ Migrants, FAEs are often carried out under the guise of criminal investigations. However, they are in reality “medical or physical procedures in which the anus, rectum, or anal sphincter of an individual are forcibly examined, either through the use of fingers, a speculum, or other medical instruments, without the voluntary and informed consent of the individual.”
This practice, Mutebi emphasizes, has contributed significantly to the forced migration of LGBTQ+ individuals, especially from Uganda, where such procedures have been documented multiple times as part of wider campaigns of intimidation, detention, and persecution.
Sexual assault is broadly understood as any sexual act or behavior that is committed without consent. Yet, in Uganda’s legal and social context, this definition remains painfully narrow. It fails to account for state-led acts of sexual violence like FAEs that violate bodily autonomy, dignity, and humanity.
International bodies such as the World Medical Association (WMA) and United Nations have repeatedly condemned forced anal examinations. In fact, the WMA Declaration of Tokyo explicitly prohibits health professionals from participating in torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, which includes FAEs. The practice violates all four principles of medical ethics: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.
These so-called “examinations” cause real and lasting harm. Victims have reported physical injuries, such as tearing, bleeding, and infections, as well as psychological trauma, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and a complete erosion of self-esteem. This isn’t just violence; it’s a form of institutionalized rape masked in medical authority and legal procedure.
Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 and the Weaponization of Sexual Violence
The passage of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act (2023) only further legitimizes these violations. The Act not only criminalizes same-sex relationships but also codifies systemic violence including forced conversion therapies, life imprisonment, and the death penalty.
Under this legal regime, FAEs become tools of sexualized torture, used not to find truth, but to humiliate, dehumanize, and destroy. These acts are used in courts as “evidence,” a cruel irony considering their complete lack of scientific or forensic validity.
As Mutebi notes, this practice has become so normalized that it continues even in countries like Kenya, where courts have declared it unconstitutional. The 2018 Mombasa Court of Appeal ruling clearly stated that forced anal examinations violate constitutional rights to privacy, dignity, and protection from torture. And yet, they continue.
Expanding the Definition of Sexual Assault in Uganda
If we are to honor the intent and impact of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, then we must begin by expanding our legal and societal definitions of what constitutes sexual assault. In Uganda, the Penal Code does not recognize male rape or non-penetrative sexual violence as crimes. It certainly does not recognize state-sponsored medicalized sexual violence.
We call upon civil society, legal reformers, and public health professionals to:
– Explicitly include forced anal examinations in Uganda’s legal definition of sexual assault and torture.
– Train law enforcement and medical personnel to reject participation in FAEs.
– Provide psychosocial support and redress mechanisms for survivors of FAE and other forms of sexualized state violence.
– Establish independent oversight bodies to monitor detention centers and protect LGBTQ+ detainees from abuse.
– Educate the public on the real and devastating impacts of FAEs, particularly during national campaigns like SAAM.
Breaking the Silence, Reclaiming the Narrative
