The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Janet Museveni, this week said she is considering reviving a programme to help stem the increasing cases of teenage pregnancies and protect the country’s children against abuse.

Under the programme dubbed Youth Convention, teenagers, most of them drawn from the country’s schools, would hold periodic retreats and discuss issues for responsible living, including reproductive health.

However, the First Lady said the programme was halted at some stage due to increased assignments.

“Perhaps, it is time to reconsider a partnership with the gender ministry to revive this programme to help in the protection of adolescents and even parenting, so that communities and our people reconsider the role they must play in the growing and development of their children,” she said.

Mrs Museveni made the remarks on Monday during an event to mark the International Day of the Girl Child at Kololo Independence Grounds.

The day is celebrated to take stock of what different stakeholders are doing to contribute to the empowerment of the girl child in different capacities and levels. This year’s event was held worldwide under the theme: Digital Generation Our Generation.

However, in Uganda, this year’s event comes against the backdrop of rising cases of teenage pregnancies, with some analysts blaming the problem on the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in closure of schools, leaving children redundant and prone to abuse.

Statistics

According to the 2020 annual Uganda Police report, a total of 14,230 children were defiled, 14,080 of whom were girls and 140 boys. The statistics further indicated that 1,280 were children aged 0-8 years, while 2,980 were in the age bracket of 9-14 and 9,954 were aged 15-17. About 120 of the children were defiled by their parents, 120 by their guardians, 52 by teachers and 301 by persons who are HIV positive.

At the Kololo event, which was attended by development partners, civil society and government officials, Mrs Museveni decried the abuse against children, saying many “criminal elements within some of our families and communities have taken advantage of the situation to abuse the rights of our children”.

She said the situation would have been different had families played their traditional roles of child upbringing.

“Family is sacred and it is the most important building block of all that God has created. Family is responsible for God’s most cherished attribute — love! God puts the greatest weight of responsibility on the family.

In the Bible, He provided a template for training our children at the family level, imparting all the necessary values, principles and life skills in them,” she said.

“While I agree that the Government has an equal stake in all its citizens, parents, children, guardians and the family should form the first line of defence and protection for our children.”

She implored the other actors at community level, non-state and state partners “to awaken to our duty to create conditions that are conducive for our children, particularly the girls, to perform and enable them to achieve their full potential”.

The First Lady said it is not only proper and their fundamental right, but also makes economic sense, as it secures the future for them as well as that of families, societies, countries and humanity as a whole.

“It has often been said: ‘if you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a family and a whole nation,’” she said.

Following guidelines

On COVID-19, Mrs Museveni appreciated all Ugandans who have exercised restraint and trusted the NRM government to lead the country.

She said is the main reason the rate of COVID deaths has been relatively low compared to other countries with similar or even better developed health systems.

“With the now proven strategies chosen by the Government, we can clearly see a glowing light at the end of the tunnel and life should undoubtedly return to normal once again as we go forward with care,” Mrs Museveni said.

Increasing cases

Betty Amongi, the gender minister, said using the Uganda child helpline on toll-free line 116, which is operated by her ministry, a total of 2,124 cases of abuse of girls was registered, most of which were sexual in nature. She said 431 were defilement cases, 208 child marriage cases and 124 teenage pregnancies.

“The majority of these are now in the hands of the Police, while others are in the courts,” Amongi said. She added: “The ministry is doing everything possible to ensure that the Police and the Judiciary handle these cases professionally and expeditiously.”

Dr Munir Safielding, who spoke on the behalf of the UN system in Uganda, urged the Government to help girls embrace technology and the internet, saying this has been made necessary by COVID-19.

“When COVID-19 necessitated unprecedented public health measures such as frequent lockdowns and closure of schools and businesses, societies with advanced digital technology were able to ensure continuity of learning and economic productivity. We must ensure that girls in developing countries are part of the digital transformation. Otherwise, they will continue to be left behind,” he said.

Safielding said at the moment, millions of illiterate girls who never enrolled in school or dropped out of school due to poverty, early marriage and pregnancy have little hope of being part of the digital generation.

James Yesiga, who spoke on behalf of civil society organisations, called for lowering of prices of internet in order to increase access to technologies, especially by the rural population.

He said 80% of Uganda’s school-going children and youth live in rural areas, where infrastructure is undeveloped.

“Without equal access to technology and internet, girls and women will not be able to equally participate in our increasingly digital societies. Holding back girls and women in this area affects multiple aspects of their lives, access to learning, as well as ability to speak out and campaign on issues.