Police asks for multi-sectoral approach to prevention of teenage marriages
Police of West Nile has raised concern about the prevalence of teenage pregnancies in the region urging different stakeholders to come up with a multi-sectoral approach to prevent such occurrences especially during this long school holiday.
This was raised during the Human Rights Commission dialogue held in Arua city in which various stakeholders such as cultural leaders, religious leaders, civil society among others met to discuss the challenges faced by the society.
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Among the biggest challenges faced in West Nile is teenage marriages, teenage marriage which is attributed to many causes in society.
Addressing the meeting, Senior Superintendent of Police Obingu-onzi Gasper, noted that very few cases of child marriages and teenage pregnancies are reported to police but instead they reach police in form of rape and defilement he calling for a multi-sectoral approach.
“As police, we ask for awareness creation among parents and guardians on their roles in bringing up children, as well as reporting such cases to police for arrest and deterrent action. Although police is trying to play it's role through investigation of reported cases, prosecution and sensitization, other stakeholders need to play their roles too.” he said
The Human Rights Commission and the stakeholders in the meeting attributed early marriage in the region to poverty, substance abuse, culture, moral decadence, weak laws, unregulated use of media, bad environment, ignorance of parents and guardians on their roles in bringing up children and others.
Plenary discussions were made by all the members present, and later came up with workable recommendations towards fighting and ending teenage pregnancies and child marriages.
They promised to play their roles as individuals and institutions in fighting the vice.
