Challenges in the realisation of reproductive rights among rural women in Uganda: a case study of Namugongo sub-county, Kaliro district in Eastern Uganda

Abstract

This study was carried out on the challenges in the realization of reproductive rights among the rural women in Uganda, with a case study of Namugongo Sub County in Kaliro district. The study set out to identify the contributors to unmet need for contraception, assessed the legal frameworks, and established the measures to address the challenges in the realization of women’s reproductive right to contraception among the rural women. Unmet need for contraception, stands at 28.4% of all married women in Uganda. An understanding of women’s contraceptive behaviors, and the motivations that drive these are key to tackling unmet need, by way of designing, implementing and improving family planning programs to effectively meet the needs of rural women. Analysis of data highlighted three major themes pertaining to the complex, multi-level nature of contributors to unmet need and women’s use of contraception in Namugongo Sub County. With a largely patriarchal society, rural women had to navigate many obstacles. Some of these included: fears about contraceptive side effects; partner opposition, community beliefs and stigma that dissuaded contraceptive use; traditional gender and socio- cultural norms that dictated women’s fertility choices; and service delivery limitations. In order to make contraceptives more accessible to women in Uganda, there is need to increase male acceptance of contraception, encourage joint decision-making on matters of reproductive health and changing the community narratives about family planning through testimonies from satisfied users. Male opposition to contraceptive use leads to the clandestine use of contraceptives and the use of traditional rather than the modern methods of contraception.