Let us resolve to end teenage pregnancy

By Umar Weswala

Today is the world population day and I am already in Isingiro district, where this year's national celebrations to commemorate the day are being held courtesy of the Population Secretariat and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

This year's theme is: Harness Uganda's Demographic Dividend; Invest in Teenage Girls.

About 56% of Uganda's population is below 18 years of age and 70% below the age of 24 years. Teenage girls constitute the largest portion of these age categories and because of various reasons; many of them are sexually active at an early age. Unfortunately, only about 11% of them have access to reproductive health information, services and family planning services.

As a result, Uganda with a teenage pregnancy prevalence of 24% is still short of meeting targets in reducing teenage pregnancy, child marriage and other related risks.

Yesterday, I took part in the pre-World Population Day workshop at the Isingiro district local government headquarters and my message from the interactions is that our leaders recognise that teenage pregnancy and child marriage are serious issues that need urgent attention. They, however, believe that there are a lot of other causes worth investing in than the teenage girls.

Key among these are infrastructure and defence. Much as these are great areas to invest in, I join the international community to insist that the "Ugandan teenage girl" should be on the forefront of the minds of people looking for a cause to invest in.

This is the group we need to invest in, if we want to see the much anticipated and publicised steady progress, because there is evidence that investing in girls and women is linked to the achievement of nearly every sustainable development goal.

Adolescent pregnancy, for instance, is not just a health issue, it is a development issue. When girls marry young, they drop out of school. The result is poor health, lost potential, lack of opportunities, constrained life options and poverty.

Investing in adolescent girls, therefore, helps break this cycle of poverty.

Investing in adolescent pregnancy is about empowering girls. When girls have a choice, they marry later. Investing in girls is about developing their social and economic assets.

It means healthier families and higher levels of gender equality.

This in turn makes for stronger societies and more vibrant economies. Investment in adolescent girls is an investment in development for everyone.

The writer is the managing editor of www.thecommunityagenda.com