Budaka leaders are still baffled by rising teenage pregnancies

Local leaders and development partners have expressed great concern over the increasing cases of early marriages and teenage pregnancies in Budaka district.

This shocking incident was unearthed by HEROES, a consortium of four NGOs –Amref, Mifumi, Condraid and ICRW after carrying out an assessment and discovering that Budaka district is among the 9 districts with a high burden of teenage pregnancies and early marriages.

Micheal Muyonga, the  HEROES program manager revealed this during the commemoration of the day of the African child under the theme, “Eliminating harmful practices affecting children progress on policy and practices since 2013” at Nabiketo, primary school Budaka sub-county, Budaka district.

The program is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender and local level stakeholders with funding from the Embassy of the Netherland to a tune of 10 million euros for a period of 4 years and is to be implemented in 9 districts of Mbale, Bukwo, Kween, Budaka, Mayuge, Namayingo, Iganga, Bugiri and Kalangala.

Mr Muyonga said that the program worked together with different stakeholders [religious leaders, district, DEO, health workers, community] and empowered them to tackle teenage pregnancies and child marriages in these districts.

“We trained and empowered the 70 community champions purposely to support community solutions for sustainable outcomes on basic life skills to end forced and early pregnancies and marriages," Muyonga said

“This will empower ordinary people to take charge of their sexual and health issues and exercise their right to a life free of violence. It will empower young girls, boys and women to make informed decisions on Sexual reproductive health rights and empowered to say no to sexual gender-based violence which remains one of the severe forms of gender inequality that affects health outcomes” Mr Muyonga said.

He further said that young people [10-14] years and women [15-49 years], including people with disabilities [PWD] in target districts, experience a high burden of sexual reproductive health rights [SRHR] violations-early/forced marriage, teenage pregnancy and Sexual gender-based violence caused by gender inequalities which are facilitated by limited access to accurate and applicable knowledge.

He attributed the high increasing burden of teenage pregnancies and early marriages to unfavourable attitudes and lack of decision-making skills of youth and women regarding SRHR and SGBV and as well low quality of SRHR and SGBV services at service delivery points, which are not well integrated and are now also disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic.

He also cited societal pressure from their immediate relations including Peers, parents, relatives and persons in authority, who they can’t resist due to unsupportive traditional gender norms and power inequalities that foster silence around SRHR and SGBV issues

Muyonga also indicated the maternal mortality ratio/100,000 live births in the 9 district shows that Kalangala registered 156, Bugiri [128], Mayuge [37], Iganga [127], Namayingo [50], Mbale [247], Budaka [27], Bukwo [149] and Kween [42].

While the teenage pregnancy rate  in Kalangala stood at 13%, Bugiri [25%], Mayuge [26%], Iganga [22%], Namayingo [26%], Mbale [22%], Budaka [27%], Bukwo [19%], Kween [29%].The total Sexual gender based violence [SGBV] was, Kalangala [525], Bugiri [1521], Mayuge [1074], Iganga [782], Namayingo [564], Mbale [473], Budaka [925], Bukwo [594] and Kween [95].

“We hope that this empowerment and livelihood, we shall be able to at least contribute to a reduction in teenage pregnancies, ending child marriages and increasing access to adolescent reproductive health services,” he said

He added that “The community champions will educate and sensitize the communities to stop child marriages, violence against children domestic violence, GBV and teenage pregnancies."

The Senior Education officer, Ms Khanifa Mugala said that the trend of early pregnancies and early marriages is on the surge which has greatly increased school dropouts.

She explained that the COVID-19 lockdown pushed more than 900 pupils out of schools because of various factors including early marriages and teenage pregnancies.

“Majority of the pupils got married off while at a tender age and this was worsened by the outbreak of COVID-19. The situation isn’t so good in the district unless serious interventions are made to address and scale down the challenge” she said

The District Education officer [DEO], Paul Higenyi, however, faulted parents for being irresponsible of failing to exercise their parental roles in guiding their children but instead have turned their girl child into a business venture to marry off their children before the age of 16.

“There is a slight decrease in pupil enrolment because of pupils dropping out of schools due to early pregnancies and teenage pregnancies. This was also compounded by the teacher strike which again pushed some pupils to totally remain at home. Nearly 10% of the pupils are still at home despite schools re-opening” Higenyi said.

Higenyi further said that the unprecedented increase in teenage pregnancies is becoming a serious concern in the district.

“The high burden of teenage pregnancies in Budaka is a serious concern which needs urgent interventions because previously a school with an enrolment of 1000 pupils find about 800pupils” he emphasized.

The Budaka district probation officer, Julian Muganzi, noted that the children bear the burden of the children and yet they are also children. “Child mothers in Budaka are unbearable and unfortunate because find a child mother also carrying a child. Which kind of families and future will these people have as families? This is a serious concern which is fought seriously” she said

She also observed that cultural tendencies become a bit difficult to address these issues because they intend to shy away from addressing cases of incest but only keep silent within the communities. The parents are keeping the survivors away once a case has been opened. 262 sexual violence were registered and out of this, 79 were investigated while the rest remained under general enquiries.

He singled out Tademeri and Budaka sub-counties with the highest cases of teenage pregnancies and early marriages in the entire district.

The teenage pregnancies in Budaka stand at 24.7% who get pregnant before the age of 18.