national news (print): 3rd place- francis mugerwa, daily monitor
TRANSCRIPT
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8/17/2019 National News (Print): 3rd place- Francis Mugerwa, Daily Monitor
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18 cover story.
BY FRANCIS MUGERWA
Martha* was a mathematicswiz working towardsattaining a first grade when
she conceived. The 15-year-oldformer pupil at Kabaale PrimarySchool in Buseruka Sub-county,Hoima District, had ambitions ofbecoming a medical doctor.
However, every passing day, thesedreams remain just that because apremarital affair she had with a fel-low teenager is having far-reachingimplications on her future.
She was forced out of school andthe affair has cast a shadow overher career ambitions.
“I developed a relationshipwith a boy who impreg-
nated me,” she says tear-fully, while recountingevents that forced herto drop out of school
after she conceived.When she conceived,
her parents chased her from
home, which forced her to seek ref-uge at her boyfriend’s home.
This did not stop her from pleadingwith her parents to forgive her, whichthey apparently reluctantly did.
Worrying trend
She is among the several pupilswhose future prospects are beingshattered through defilement andearly marriages in Hoima District.
Hoima District local government isstruggling to curb the high teenagepregnancies and high school dropout rates, which are affecting thedistrict’s education targets.
“Many girls are dropping out ofschool after being sexually abused,the Hoima District education officer,Godfrey Sserwanja says.
The district’s target of retainingschool-going children in school is be-ing frustrated by some parents whoare abetting early marriage, Sser-wanja laments.
“It is unfortunate that some par-ents collude with the defilers and re-ceive bride price to marry off under
age pupils” he says.
In Bunyoro, parents receive domestic animals and other pras a form of bride price.
It is not only the girls that fected by early marriages. Peguyo, 19, a resident of Kaseetain Kabwooya Sub-county, cladropped out of primary schcently following his father’s d
As an heir, Anguyo was pized by relatives to get marrithus he found it difficult to bbetween caring for the family tending school. He now earns as a boda boda rider and a farm
Hoima deputy resident dcommissioner Ambrose Mwconcedes that the rate at whicdren are dropping out of scalarming and has affected gment’s Universal Primary Edu(UPE) programme. UPE offeprimary education to childschool going age.
“The district security comhas resolved to intensify opethat will lead to the arrest anecution of people that are sabusing children and temptinto drop out of school,” Mwvowed. He said even childrenin markets and video halls school hours will be arrestethose are common avenues children are lured into sex.
Teenage pregnancy is a bi
Research shows that in sub-Saharan Africa, child
pregnancy has spelt doom for adolescent mothers, who
are forced to drop out of school. This is a reality that
stakeholders in Hoima District cannot hide from.
HOIMA
GRAPPLES
WITH TEENAGE
PREGNANCY
18
BY FRANCIS MUGE
artha* was a mathematwiz working towardsattaining a first grade
she conceived. The 15-year-oldformer pupil at Kabaale PrimarSchool in Buseruka Sub-county,Hoima District, had ambitions obecoming a medical doctor.
owever, every passing day, treams remain just that becau
premarital affair she had withow teenager is having far-reacim lications on her future.
Sh was forced out of schoole af f ir has cast a shadow
career ambitions. “I developed a relation
ith a boy who impnated me,” she says
full , while recounvents that forced
d op out of scer he conceived.he she concei
Research shows that
pregnancy has spelt
are forced to drop ou
stakeholders in Hoim
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8/17/2019 National News (Print): 3rd place- Francis Mugerwa, Daily Monitor
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nge to many districts in the mid-estern region and Uganda at large.
atistics
On November 1, 2009, Fiona Bbaale,, a pupil at Kiryandongo Primary
chool developed labour pains andave birth to a baby-girl as she wasriting her social studies paper dur-g the Primary Leaving ExaminationLE).Bbaale was rushed to Kiryan-
ongo Hospital to be monitored butturned in the afternoon for the
nglish paper. She completed PLEnd named her child Akingito, whicheans exams.Statistics at Hoima Regional Refer-l Hospital show a high number ofenage mothers at the facility.The 2014 Antenatal register re-
eals that out of 11,592 mothers whoought antenatal services at the hos-tal, 1,626 were teenagers while in
013, out of 11,704 expectant mothersho sought medication at the ante-atal unit, 1,841 were teens.
nalysis
According to police reports, defile-ent is one of the common crimesgistered at various police postsross Bunyoro sub-region.Lydia Tumushabe, the mid-west-n regional police spokesperson,
says the police have investigatedand prosecuted the suspects in de-filement cases.
However, there are fears amongeducationists and security officialsthat some cases are concealed by par-ents and the defilers hence the defile-ment victims fail to get justice.
Tumushabe says some parentshave commercialised defilementcases and prefer to settle them out-side legal confines.
“Parents should be careful withtheir children especially during holi-days because that is a period whensuch cases (defilement and teenagepregnancies) increase,” she shares.
She advises the public not to shielddefilement suspects and other sus-pected criminals because this desta-bilises security and development oftheir areas.
“I advise girls to avoid being de-ceived by men, especially boda bodacyclists, who lure them with smallgifts,” Tumushabe says.
Security sources told Daily Moni- tor that some men deliberately tar-get school age teenagers becausethey are gullible.
Some defilement victims are re-portedly waylaid on their way to orfrom school. Others are targeted atcommunity water sources or localgrocery stores.
Expectant mothers,including teenagers,wait for antenatalservices at Kabaalehealth centre IIIin Hoima Districtrecently. PHOTOS BYFRANCIS MUGERWA.
Interventions
Catherine Byenkya, the BunyoroKitara Kingdom’s minister for health,says she has counselled some of thegirls that have been sexually abusedand molested.
“They feel hurt, betrayed and trau-matised. They need counselling andrehabilitation,” she said.
For those that have dropped out ofschool, the kingdom has partneredwith government agencies and non-governmental organisations to en-sure they resume studies.
“However, there is a challengesince many hesitate to go back toschool fearing stigma,” she added.
In a bid to curb teenage pregnan-cies and its related problems, thekingdom does not issue marriage cer-tificates to unions where one party isbelow 18 years.
She adds that Bunyoro Kitara king-dom has also set aside honourarycertificates to girls who get marriedwhen they are older and are virgins.
Sadly, these certificates are yet to
be claimed by any family.
The grim reality
According to figures from UgandaDemographic Health Survey (UDHS)2011, 24 per cent of female teenag-ers are either pregnant or have givenbirth already.
The survey indicated that as earlyas 15 years, about 15 per cent ofwomen of 20-29 years were married.Another 49 per cent were married atthe age of 18.
A report by Ministry of Health atthe November 2013 national sympo-sium on teenage pregnancies high-lights the fact that teenage pregnan-cies in Uganda is one of the highest inEast and southern Africa.
According to the report, each year,out of the 1,000 female adolescents,135 are mothers.
The report revealed that while the
Adolescent Health Policy ex-plicitly states that pregnantadolescent girls should bere-admitted to school afterthey have delivered, Ugan-da’s Education Policy is si-lent about it.
“…Pregnant adolescentsare often denied a chanceto continue with their edu-cation. Indeed in districtswhere teenage pregnancy
rates are well above 50 per cent,school dropout rates have been re-ported to be as high as 84 per cent,”the report reads in part.
Projections
Bernadette Plan, the Hoima Districtsecretary of community develop-ment, says the district has intensifiedcommunity sensitisation campaignsin communities about dangers ofteenage pregnancies and the impor-tance of girl child education.
The 2011 UDHS shows that only 20per cent of teenagers had some sec-ondary education, 56.7 per cent hadsome primary education, 16.9 percent completed primary educationand 5 per cent had no education atall.
Catherine Ntabadde Makumbi,the senior communications special-ist United Nations Children’s Fund
(Unicef Uganda), says a recent surhas showed that engaging in easex, early marriages as well as teage pregnancies are the blockagto girls’ concentration, performaand completion of different levelseducation.
“We are working with the Minisof Education and Sports to establthe gravity of the problem and geits root,” she said.
The ministry is conducting stuon teenage pregnancy in more th20 districts and how it is affecting girl child.
According to Makumbi, Unicef hbeen advocating pregnant girlsbe allowed to sit for exams and enrolment after delivery.
“There are good prospects frgovernment on this and they listening to the issues. Even thouthere is no policy yet but at lepregnant girls can sit for their exaor continue with their educationter giving birth” Makumbi said.
There is increasing concern thanothing is done to check the trendmay threaten the peace and stabiof the country.
Many children born of teenamothers end up on the wrong sof the law because of lack of promentoring and education.
UGANDAHOIMADISTRICT
TownL.Albert
Murchison FallsNational park
HOIMA
LOCATION OF HOIMA
According to the state of theWorld Population Report,2013, every day, 20,000 girlsbelow age 18 give birth in de-veloping countries.
Girls under the years of 15account for two million of theannual 7.3 million new adoles-cent mothers. If the currenttrends continue, the numberof births to girls under 15 couldrise to three million by 2030.
Another report publishedby United Nations PopulationFund (Unfpa), shows that inevery region of the world, im-poverished, poorly educatedand rural girls are more likelyto become pregnant than theirwealthier, urban, and more
educated counterparts.
About 70,000 adolescents indeveloping countries die annu-ally of causes related to preg-nancy and childbirth.
The report shows that girlswho remain in school are lesslikely to become pregnant.
It states that tackling un-intended pregnancy amongadolescents requires holisticapproaches. “Because the chal-lenges are great and complex,no single sector or organisa-tion can singlehandedly dealwith them. Only by workingin partnerships, across sec-tors, and in collaboration withadolescents themselves, canconstraints on their progressbe removed,” the report reads
in part.
WORRYING STATISTICS