500 teenage pregnancies recorded in 2012 – report

There were 522 unwanted pregnancies among girls between 10-18 years registered last year in several schools countrywide, a Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Schools report, released yesterday, indicates.The report, released by the Gender Monitoring Office indicates that most of the cases were in Karongi (58), Kayonza (53), Gatsibo (52) and Gasabo (50).It was a culmination of an August 2011 meeting between the Ministry of Education and several stakeholders to find out the root causes of the existence of GBV in schools.The biggest perpetrators of sexual violence which leads to unwanted pregnancies are older men, commonly referred to as sugar daddies, fellow students, teachers, and motorcyclists.While releasing the findings, Eugenie Kabageni, the Deputy Chief Gender Monitor in charge of fighting Injustices and GBV, said many teenage girls give in to sexual abuse because of poverty. She noted that according to the research they carried out in schools, many students claimed that they give in to sexual abuse when they are promised money to meet their needs or wants they can’t get from their parents or guardians.Neglect by parents/guardians, peer pressure and poor discipline were also among the major causes of sexual crimes which lead to unwanted pregnancies.“Some parents have also been very negligent; they abandoned the role of parenting to the teachers. They don’t take time to talk to their children about pertinent issues such as reproductive health,” she said.The report cited police statistics which indicate that 1,682 defilement cases were registered in 2012, while in January and February this year, 318 defilement cases were recorded.Dr. Mathias Harebamungu, the State Minister in charge of Primary and Secondary Education, said the report will guide the ministry and other stakeholders in devising means to curb unwanted pregnancies in schools.He stated that in 2011, the ministry discovered that there is a high dropout rate due to early pregnancies in schools and called upon teenagers faced with sexual violence in their communities, whether at school or home, to always report these cases.“Children need proper parenting in order for them to make the right decisions. Everyone in community should play a role of proper parenting and not leave it to teachers or biological parents. Perpetrators of the different forms of GBV should also be punished,” said Harebamungu.Early this year, in a Rwamagana based school, 26 students were found to be carrying unwanted pregnancies.Currently, there are no administrative records on unwanted pregnancies in schools. The report, therefore, urges the ministry to compel schools to keep records and follow-up on pregnant girls to return to school.It also proposes communication between parents and children on reproductive health by using existing channels like parents’ meetings locally called akagoroba k’ababyeyi.

National

500 teenage pregnancies recorded in 2012 – report