12-year-old girls enrol on family planning

Data from the Uganda Health Information System reveals that between March 2023 and March 2024, 2,476 girls under the age of 15 attended their first antenatal care (ANC) visit at health facilities across the country.

During the same period, 1,755 girls in the same age group gave birth. Of the girls who conceived in the last 12 months, 52 were from the Lango Sub-region, with Oyam District recording the highest number at 10 cases.

Dr Carline Agaro, the Oyam assistant district health officer (DHO), confirmed that within the period under review, a total of 10 girls below the age of 15 visited health facilities for their first ANC visit.

 “Fifty percent of these girls were from Kamdini Sub-county, with three of the five girls being attended to at Zambia Health Centre II and the other two at Aber Hospital,” she told this publication in May 5.

Ms Christine Anono, the Lira District community development officer, said to avoid early pregnancies, some parents are now allowing their sexually-active daughters to access family planning services.

“When you go to a school, a girl comes and tells you ‘I’m on family planning but I bleed throughout. This is a girl aged between 12 and 15. It’s so painful!” she said at a community dialogue organised by Joy for Children Uganda (JFCU), a child rights organisation, in Lira City on August 14.

 The dialogue was aimed to build consensus on the importance of protecting girls’ rights, and keeping them in school.

Family planning

 Dr Julius Bamwine, the Ibanda DHO, explained that family planning, is a voluntary practice which health practitioners do not encourage for children.

 “We do not have statistics [for girls on family planning] because this is done secretly but we are advising our health workers to counsel the teenagers who might come seeking for family planning services that it is not good and they should instead abstain. If you pack condoms for your children that means you have given them  a leeway to go and have sex,” Dr Bamwine said.

 Dr Ivan Kamya, the Kiruhura DHO, said: “Before we go into the issue of family planning among teenagers, the first thing should be what causes these young girls to engage in sex at an early age? Is it poverty? These young girls drop out of schools and want to survive. So, you cannot stop family planning among teenagers unless you address other underlying causes like poverty.”

 Mr Halson Kagure, the communications officer for Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, said: “We have an adolescent clinic and I believe this is partly what it handles but being teenagers, this remains confidential. At this clinic, we also do a lot of counselling.”

 In Mayuge, a former senior clinical officer of Busala Health IV, Ms Harriet Wako, confirmed that every month, a total of 12 teenagers aged 14 have been seeking family planning services.

 Ms Wako said these teenagers usually seek Sayana Presser. Sayana Presser is a subcutaneous  contraceptive injection.

“We usually sensitise them first to abstain from sex but those who cannot control themselves, we give them Sayana press because we teach them once and we give them the package to inject themselves,” she said.

 According to Save Young Mothers Uganda statistics of 2022/2023, teenage pregnancy is at 27 percent in Mayuge District.

Continue with school

 The DHO of Jinja, Dr Peter Dyogo, revealed that young girls in schools are sensitised on how to manage their menstruation periods and to avoid unwanted pregnancies without necessarily using family planning methods.

 He, however, said pregnant learners are allowed to continue with studies.  

Sr Irene Maturu, the Yumbe assistant DHO in charge of Maternal and Child Health, said the services are strictly offered to sexually-active girls who really need the family planning services.

“The turn-out of the young girls in accessing these services is good and they normally access it easily during adolescent outreach programmes because they fear going to facilities,” she said.

 In Moyo, Ms Lilian Mashia, the executive director West Nile Woman Advocacy Platform, said: “You cannot tell me as a parent to allow my child to go for family planning. The most important is to have good measures in place to address issues related to sex education to our children.”

 During the celebrations for this year’s Day of the African Child in Pakwach, Ms Immaculate Mukasa, the executive director of the Mentoring and Empowerment Programme for Young Women, said the district must strengthen the education ordinance to keep girls in schools and also allow pregnant girls to continue with their studies.  

 “We need to advocate for the second chance education package to our girls and girls need to be given an equal opportunity just like boys in terms of education. We need to distance ourselves from other social injustices which bar girls from attending schools,” she said.

  According to Ms Tamali Edinyu, a community elder, the practice of forcing young girls into marriage after they have been sexually abused is still widespread.

Ms Mary Akao of the Child and Family Protection Unit at Lira Central Police Station, said the police face huge challenges in handling child sexual offences in situations where parents are not cooperating.

 Mr Tom Onyuti, a clan leader of Arakodworo Clan in Lira City, said clan leaders have the responsibility to allow children to stay at school and educate the children about the consequences of engaging in early sex.

Statistics

According to the UNFPA fact sheet of 2021, Busoga tops the six regions with the highest numbers of teenage pregnancies. The most affected district being Kamuli with 6,535 cases and Mayuge  with 6,205 teenage pregnancies

Complied by Bill Oketch, Abubaker Kirunda, Tausi Nakato, Rajab Mukombozi, Jovita Kyarisiima, Robert Elema, Scovin Iceta, Felix Warom Okello & Patrick Okaba