Health officials in Rubanda District have called for stronger child protection measures amid concerns over teenage pregnancies in communities.
Last week, Rubanda District Health Officer Dr David Mporampora said the district had registered 1,570 teenage pregnancies out of 9,970 pregnancies recorded in the past year.
Dr Mporampora said adolescents accounted for more than 15 per cent of the pregnancies recorded during the period.
He said a significant number of the affected adolescents had dropped out of school, while others were living on the streets or working in bars, exposing them to circumstances that increase their vulnerability to early pregnancy.
Dr Mporampora identified alcohol and substance abuse among the factors driving teenage pregnancies in the district, saying Rubanda has one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption in the country.
Speaking during a community engagement meeting organised by the Uganda Red Cross Society, Kabale Branch, with support from UNICEF under the Risk Communication and Community Engagement Ebola project at Hamurwa Town Council Hall on Tuesday, Natukunda Proscovia, a nursing officer at Hamurwa Health Centre IV, cited high teenage pregnancy rates in some communities, including 45 per cent in Ruhonwa Parish, 47 per cent among communities served by Shebeya Health Centre II and 95 per cent in the area served by Mpungu Health Centre III.
She said the figures call for stronger community interventions to protect adolescents and address social and economic factors contributing to teenage pregnancies.
“Data on sexual abuse among young people further indicates that approximately one in three girls and one in six boys in Uganda experience sexual abuse before reaching the age of 18,” Natukunda said.
She urged communities to strengthen child protection mechanisms and called on Local Council I leaders to reinforce community by-laws aimed at curbing teenage pregnancies and sexual abuse.
Dr Mporampora also called for closer collaboration between health and education officials and district leaders to strengthen systems for protecting girls in schools.
He said boarding schools should have appropriate mechanisms and facilities to safeguard girls and provide them with a conducive environment to concentrate on their education.
CUE IN MPORAMPORA…ON THE MATTER…RR/ENG//
