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Activists demand action against men behind teenage pregnancies
Teenage pregnancies have increased in the past two years across the country. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Addressing journalists on teenage pregnancies and school inclusiveness in Kampala yesterday, campaigners from Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP), United Nations (UN) Women, Domestic Violence Act (DVA) and Plan International Uganda, said punishing the perpetrators would be a lesson to other likely abusers.
Girl-child activists are demanding government to hold perpetrators of sexual abuse accountable for their actions.
This is amid the increased cases of sexual abuse that were reported during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing journalists on teenage pregnancies and school inclusiveness in Kampala yesterday, campaigners from Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP), United Nations (UN) Women, Domestic Violence Act (DVA) and Plan International Uganda, said punishing the perpetrators would be a lesson to other likely abusers.
“They should learn that if they defile or rape girls, then they must serve some kind of punishment, including going to prison,” Ms Diana Nansumba, a programme officer at CEDOVIP, said.
“The girls also get some kind of relief once these perpetrators are put behind bars,” she said.
Since some of the perpetrators are young boys below the age of 18 years, Ms Nansumba advised they are rehabilitated in juvenile prisons or put on therapy programmes.
On how to specifically deal with the issue of fathers who sexually abuse their own daughters, Mr Moses Ntenga, the executive director at Joy for Children Uganda, which champions rights of children, said: “Awareness should first be created in communities and encourage people, including relatives, to raise alarm once they suspect anything fishy happening their societies.”
Statistics from the ministry of Gender indicate that 200 fathers who sexually abused their daughters are among the 1,682 total defilement cases reported in 2020 through the child helpline services.
Ms Sheila Ayot Nyoko, the communications officer at Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET), noted that the Justice, Law and Order (JLOs) sector needs to ensure that prosecution is accorded in a timely manner and that the court system is favourable to the victims.
On critics who advocate against girls returning to study at church-affiliated schools, the activists stated it was an entirely wrong decision.
“We are disappointed in the religious leaders and school administrators who have refused to adhere to the government directives (of allowing pregnant girls or those who have given birth to return for studies),” Ms Grace Namataka, the national advocacy officer at CEDOVIP, said.
A section of clerics and head teachers have previously reasoned that expectant girls will serve as a bad example to their colleagues if allowed back to school and for this matter, should not be allowed back to study until they give birth.
Figures from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) indicate that about 354,736 teenage pregnancies in Uganda were registered in 2020 while 196,499 were recorded in the first six months of 2021.
