Poverty, low literacy levels escalating teenage pregnancies in Kiryandongo
KIRYANDONGO, November 29, 2023 -Leaders and medical officers in Kiryandongo district are grappling with the increase in the cases of teenage pregnancies, which they attribute partly to poverty and low literacy levels among young girls.
According to Dr. Godfrey Kisembo, the Medical Superintendent, Kiryandongo Hospital, underaged girls are among those who come for antenatal visits.
He noted that between January and March 2023, 4,254 expectant mothers visited the facility for the first antenatal care but of these, 929 were teenagers.
He further explained that between April to June 2023, 4,785 expectant mothers visited the facility for the first antenatal care, but of these 1,038 were teenagers.
He said between July and December 2022 a total of 1,700 teenagers out of 8,569 mothers visited the facility.
Speaking to theCooperator days ago, Dr. Kisembo called for the leaders’ intervention, adding that most of the caesarian sections done at the facility relate to teenagers.
He appealed to Kiryandongo district leadership to intervene if the high number of teenage pregnancies in the district is to be reduced.
“A section of people think it is us the health workers to fight this vice [teenage pregnancy] but the district leadership has to be at the forefront. As health workers, we also have a role to play, especially in reproductive health but leaders have to wake up,” explained Dr. Kisembo.
Speaking to theCooperator, Edith Aliguma, the LCV chairperson Kiryandongo district said the vice [teenage pregnancies] is being escalated by cultural beliefs, poverty, and low levels of literacy.
“There are some tribes which don’t mind about education of a girl child. They think that women are for marriage at an early age. Kiryandongo being a refugee hosting district, we have a challenge of cross-culture. Everyone has a different thinking about girl child education. Different cultures have little interest towards education,” she noted.
She added that as leaders, they are putting in place measures to combat teenage pregnancies, adding that they have held community engagements to create awareness of the dangers of the vice.
“We are doing this with different partners, school clubs, and also implementing a parents-led school feeding because we realised that many children are dropping out because they are not fed at school,” she said.
She noted that the district local government has come up with by-laws and ordinances related to teenage pregnancies, even though they have not been approved for implementation.
“This is being done from sub-counties to the district level,” she noted, calling upon different stakeholders to join hands to fight teenage pregnancy.
According to Dr. Joseph Baguma from Rescue International Committee, fighting teenage pregnancy requires a multi-sectoral approach, adding that if the problem is not addressed now, it may end up becoming a chronical challenge.
He said teenage pregnancy is still a very big challenge. “Statistics show that teenage pregnancies at the national level stand at 24 percent. in Kiryandongo district teenage pregnancies stand at 22 percent. This is too much, something needs to be done,” he said.
“The problem is the community and the leaders think it’s the health sector to address this which is wrong. We need a multi-sectoral approach to combat teenage pregnancy. We need to address the issue of poverty. Parenting has broken down and yet is very key,” he noted.
Baguma added that studies indicate most mothers who die while giving birth are teens, adding that sometimes they end up getting serious health complications.
An average of 1,000 teenage pregnancies are reported per day in Uganda, according to Ministry of Health data.
These pregnancies can have serious health impacts. For example, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for 15–19-year-old girls globally, according to the World Health Organisation [WHO].
“Preventing unplanned teenage pregnancies and promoting safe sexual behavior requires collective action. This means listening to, counseling, and educating adolescents about their sexuality and making available family planning options,” health experts say.
Edith Aliguma, the LCV chairperson Kiryandongo district (Photo by Yosam Gucwaki),”We are doing this with different partners, school clubs and also implementing a parents led school feeding because we realised that many children are dropping out because they are not fed at school,” she said.
She noted that the district local government has come up with by-laws and ordinances related to teenage pregnancies, even though they have not been approved for implementation.
“This is being done from sub counties to the district level,” she noted, calling upon different stakeholders to join hands to fight teenage pregnancy.
According to Dr. Joseph Baguma from Rescue International Committee, fighting teenage pregnancy requires a multi-sectoral approach, adding that if the problem is not addressed now, it may end up becoming a chronical challenge.
He said teenage pregnancy is still a very big challenge. “Statistics show that teenage pregnancies at national level stand at 24 percent. in Kiryandongo district teenage pregnancies stand at 22 percent. This is too much, something needs to be done,” he said.
“The problem is the community and the leaders think it’s the health sector to address this which is wrong. We need a multi-sectoral approach to combat teenage pregnancy. We need to address the issue of poverty. Parenting has broken down and yet is very key,” he noted.
Baguma added that studies indicate most mothers who die while giving birth are teens, adding that sometimes they end up getting serious health complications.
An average of 1,000 teenage pregnancies are reported per day in Uganda, according to Ministry of Health data.
These pregnancies can have serious health impacts. For example, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for 15–19-year-old girls globally, according to the World Health Organisation [WHO].
“Preventing unplanned teenage pregnancies and promoting safe sexual behavior requires collective action. This means listening to, counseling, and educating adolescents about their sexuality and making available family planning options,” health experts say.
https://thecooperator.news/archbishop-kaziimba-decries-gbv-teenage-pregnancies/
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