RELIGION | TEENAGE | PREGNANCY 

ACHOLI - Acholi religious leaders have been asked to preach against teenage pregnancies and early marriages in Sunday sermons and talk about good moral behaviour.

According to Comboni Missionaries Samaritans, a Catholic charity organisation working in the region, their reports indicate that over 17,000 girls were made pregnant.

Some girls were as young as 12 years old and were impregnated by both teenage boys and adult men in the eight districts of northern Uganda during the first two months of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.

The organisation estimates the number of pregnant girls in the eight districts to have risen threefold after the first lockdown.

Charles Serwanja, the manager Public Health and UNFPA Coordinator at Inter-religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) said there are increasing teenage pregnancies and early marriages, accusing religious leaders to have left out their work of moral teaching in the church.

Serwanja made the remarks during a regional Faith-Based Organization symposium in Gulu City on Tuesday organized for religious leaders in Acholi. 

The symposium was organised under the theme “Exploring gaps and opportunities for integrated Sexual Reproductive System, HIV and Gender Based Violence programming.”

He noted that; “The silence of religious leaders in the region is doing harm to these young girls and there is a need for our religious leaders to preach against teenage pregnancies and early marriages to reduce the mortality rate in Acholi sub region.”

Cinderella Anena, the programme Analyst Delivery of Rights in charge of Sexual Reproductive Health Right, GBV, HIV at UNFPA said 18 girls between the age of 10-19 are impregnated in Acholi sub region every day.

“Our religious leaders, you are in the top three categories of people where the community claims you are not doing your work to solve the problems in the community,” Anena said.

However, Catechist Elisabeth Lalam, from Holy Rosary Parish said the teenage pregnancy is increasing in the region because parents have left out their roles and responsibilities of looking after children. 

Reverend Beatrice Aber, the community development coordinator Diocese of Kitgum, said there is a need for religious leaders to work as a team to combat the vice in the community using the available platforms in their areas of work.