Ugandan Catholic social workers are in a door-to-door battle to save their teenage girls. This is an awareness programme for the family especially teenage girls to resist pregnancies and early marriages. According to data from the United Nations, almost 25 percent of Ugandan women have given birth by age 18, while 64 percent of girls have sex before age 18. The report shows that teenage pregnancies are particularly high in rural areas or smaller cities like Gulu.
According to government directives, all schools must provide a dedicated space for teenage mothers and pregnant students, as official data shows that over 650,000 teenage schoolgirls have given birth during their two-year absence from schools due to COVID-19 restrictions.
During the 2021 lockdown, over 32,000 teenage pregnancies were registered on average per month in Uganda, according to UN Population Fund research. The data includes underage marriages, which are prohibited by law, as well as rape victims.
Two primary students are mothers, and three are expecting, according to Yona Kakaire, the headmaster of Nabidde. A small room off the staff room is provided for breastfeeding at any time, and pregnant students are encouraged to use it if they feel tired.
These statistics gave a shock to the religious leaders, including priests, nuns, and catechists in northern Uganda. They decided to start a door-to-door campaign to help rid the region of teenage pregnancies. During their visits, they talk and urge young people to abstain from sex in order to complete their education.
“We explain to them the dangers of early pregnancy and why they should abstain from sex until marriage,” said catechist Daniel Okello from the Archdiocese of Gulu. “We also talk to their parents about the importance of bringing their children in a moral way that pleases God.”
Okello said they have been encouraging parents of those girls who are already pregnant or have given birth to consider sending their daughters back to school after they give birth. He said most parents believe it would be a waste of money, and not sending them to school serves as a punishment.
From thousands of experiences, here is a story of a teenage girl who is pregnant by a 35-year-old shopowner.
Miriam was a girl who regularly goes to school. She had many dreams about her future like any other girl. But now she is embarrassed as she was pregnant by a 35-year shopowner.
Miriam is six months pregnant now and she pondered her fate as she stared at her friends in uniform walking home from school.
“I would be among them, but this pregnancy has shuttered my dreams,” said the 16-year-old girl, asking CNS to withhold her surname to protect her privacy. “I am bored and isolated because no one wants to talk to me. I feel bad because I would not be able to return to school, and my parents are not happy with me.”
The 10th-grade pupil became pregnant by a 35-year-old shop owner in Gulu. She said the man used to lure her with money whenever her mother could send her to the shop to buy household goods.
“I didn’t understand the risk I was involved in when I used to have sex with the man inside his shop,” she said. “I was shocked after my mother took me to the clinic, and I was found pregnant after testing. I was forced to drop out of school, and I am not sure if I will return to school because my parents said they would not pay my fees.”
Miriam is among thousands of girls dropping out of school every year due to unwanted teenage pregnancy and early marriage. In this scenario, the Catholic social workers decided to do more in the field of sex education and the needed assistance for the victims.
“During our visit, we assist these teen mothers with essential items such as clothes, food, and money to start small businesses and sponsor those who want to return to school and pursue their dreams,” said Okello, noting that they do such visits once every week within Gulu and neighboring towns in northern Uganda.
Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu urged religious leaders in the region to work as a team to fight the pregnancies. He said the pregnancies negatively affect the future of young girls, who face ridicule and shame, early marriage, health complications and trauma and remain in the circle of poverty.
The clerics should use Sunday sermons and other gatherings to preach about good moral behaviors and urge youths to abstain from sex and pursue their education.
“Let’s work together as religious leaders to end teenage pregnancy that is destroying the lives of our young girls,” said Odama. “As a church, we are responsible for instilling moral values in our young people to ensure they can achieve their dreams and become responsible people in society.”
Most girls in the region and even across the country get pregnant due to poverty, lack of moral teachings, peer pressure, lack of parental care, low educational level and rape, among other reasons. Later they are in trauma.
The Church urges the parents to help the church by taking up their roles and responsibilities of caring for and looking after their children.
Okello said they were also focusing on how they can deal with the trauma facing teen mothers. He said the church had started counseling sessions to restore hope for the girls who have since given birth or are pregnant and were facing challenges such as anxiety, depression, and stress.
“We have had instances where teenage pregnancy victims have committed suicide due to shame and social stigma,” he said, noting that people in society view them as bad examples to other girls. “Through the help of counselors, the church has been trying to assist pregnant girls and those with children through the mental and emotional distress they might be going through while also guiding them on how to take care of their babies and embrace their current situation.”
Meanwhile, young girls like Miriam are appealing to stakeholders, including church leaders and government agencies, to take stern action against men taking advantage of young girls due to poverty and ignorance.
“If we jail all those men making young girls pregnant, we will never hear about teenage pregnancies,” she said. “We are suffering because these men are still outside, continuing to look for young girls without fear of repercussions.”
(This article is adapted and edited from Crux News)