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Concern over teen pregnancies in Sironko
Teen mothers attend to their children at Pader Girls’ Academy, Pader District, in 2018. Medical professionals say the biggest driver of teenage pregnancies is cultural norms, where the transition from childhood to adulthood includes marriage and giving birth. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Namakoye was kicked out of home by her parents when she first got pregnant. She was 13 at the time and in Primary Four at Mutufu Primary School in Mutufu Town Council.
Fifteen-year-old Namakoye has two children and is struggling to take care of them.
Namakoye was kicked out of home by her parents when she first got pregnant. She was 13 at the time and in Primary Four at Mutufu Primary School in Mutufu Town Council.
After leaving home, she sought refuge at a relative’s place in Budadiri Town Council, Sironko District. To fend for herself, she works as a waitress in one of the restaurants in the town council.
Her dream of becoming a nurse was cut short after she got pregnant twice.
Namakoye is not alone. Many teen mothers in the Sironko have also been chased away from their parents’ homes after getting pregnant.
Mugide, 16, a resident of Bumatofu Village, Buhungu Sub-County, said: “When I got pregnant, some of my relatives gave me two options either to abort or to leave the home. I decided to leave the home because I couldn’t risk losing my life.”
She said her mother asked her to return home after she had had two children in a space of two years, and was struggling to cope on her own.
Mugide, however, said life is not a smooth ride even at her parents’ home.
“We are living in poverty. All my dreams to become a journalist have been shattered, “she said.
Nafuna, 16, and a resident of Mutufu B Cell, said she was impregnated in Senior Three at Bukhungu Secondary School.
“The man used to pay part of my school fees and scholastic materials. But when I got pregnant he stopped providing for me and disappeared,” Nafuna said.
The teen mothers made the remarks while receiving tailoring machines from Mafabi Asha Foundation at Mutufu Prison playground in Sironko, last Saturday.
The foundation donated the machines as part of its efforts to empower the girl child and end teenage pregnancies in Sironko.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the director of Mafabi Asha Foundation, Ms Mafabi Asha Nabulo, said Sironko has recorded more than 10,000 teenage pregnancies for the past three years in a row and ranks third in defilement cases in Uganda.
“These young girls are stressed and bitter mothers because they have suffered segregation, insults, mistreatment,” she said.
Ms Mafabi advised parents and guardians to support their daughters who got pregnant.
“Let us not punish these girls by forgetting them but let’s recognise their potential and be part of the empowerment process,” she said.
She said the government has a youth, women and elderly fund and development programme that many people in the rural areas of Sironko are not aware of.
“Young people should embrace existing government programmes to uplift their living standards,” Ms Mafabi said.
Teen pregnancy data
The Sironko District health officer, Dr Paul Wakoko, said data from his office revealed that 3,255 cases of teenage pregnancies were recorded in 2020, 3,268 cases in 2021 and 3,016 cases in 2022. In 2023, they registered 3,943 cases indicating a 23.6 percent increase from 2022.
“This is attributed to neglect of children...and poverty in most of the homes,” he said.
According to the Police Annual crime report of 2023, a total of 13,144 victims were defiled in 2023, of whom, 12,818 were female juveniles and 326 were male juveniles.
Also, a total of 8,925 cases of defilement were reported to police compared to 8,960 cases reported in 2022, giving a 0.3 percent decrease in cases registered in the whole year.
The same report shows that
North Kyoga Region registered the highest number of cases of defilement in 2023 (825 cases), followed by East Kyoga with 725 cases, Elgon with 699 cases, Albertine with 499 cases, Aswa with 467 cases and KMP North with 419 cases.
The report shows that Sironko District registered 114 cases of defilement in 2023, 115 in 2022, 112 in 2021 and 119 in 2020.
The names of the teen mothers have been altered to protect their identity.
