Women MPs want help in fighting teenage pregnancies

 

The MPs contend that men and boys perpetuate teenage pregnancies saying if they are engaged the country will reduce on the number of unwanted pregnancies.

 

In a statement to commemorate the Safe motherhood day cerebrated today, the NAWMP chairperson also the Mityana Woman MP Sylvia Namabidde noted that there was need to bring men on board in the fight against teenage pregnancies since they are the ones who impregnate the young girls.

 

“Previous effort has been directed at skilling girls in pregnancy prevention with less effort directed to the males who are their partners. The information imparted to the girls has yielded little, leaving many vulnerable girls exploited by the males.” Said Namabidde.

 

Quoting the 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) by Uganda bureau of Statistics, Namabidde said in Uganda one in four girls between the ages of 15 and 19 is either pregnant or already has her first child.

 

Statistics indicate that the eastern region of Uganda ranks highest with the number of teenage pregnancies at 30.6%, followed by central with 30.3%., Karamoja with 29.7%, West Nile (26.6%) and Northern Uganda at 25.6%.

 

The Bukooli MP Peter Okeyoh attributed this to poverty and lack of food among the causes of child pregnancies. “Busoga has the highest number of teenage pregnancies in Uganda. These people grow sugar cane for sugar production, leaving no land for food production. This leads children to attend schools without lunch which gives men advantage to deceive the poor girl with money to buy what to eat, and entice them into sex, causing child pregnancies," he said.

 

The Yumbe Woman MP advised the Muslim community, to desist from marrying off their daughters who are below 18 years. she said 

“Since the girls' reproductive organs are premature they can not hold the pregnancy to term and in instances where they can, some complications like obstructed labour has led to death and obstetric fistula," she said.

 

The former Ntenjeru North MP, Sarah Nyombi, also a member of (NAWMP) said: “Parliament needs to devise means to discourage some cultures that advocate underage marriage. Girls should be given all opportunities to develop socially and economically, by completing schools and attaining at least professional training in various specializations," she added.