Daily Monitor
Monday March 15 2021
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Uganda has a predominantly young population, with 53 per cent projected to be under the age of 18 years in 2020, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics’ 2020 Statistical Abstract.
The country also has a high number of teenage pregnancies, for example among girls aged 15-19 years, 25 per cent have started childbearing, with higher rates in the rural areas, according to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016 report. These rates are worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and closure of schools.
Many of these pregnancies are as a result of defilement. Some are due to engagement in early sexual relationships, sometimes with peers, without accurate information on how to avoid pregnancy, beliefs in ineffective myths, fear of seeking Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services or denial of access when they do.
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Phones aiding teenage pregnancy - Mak survey
Wednesday December 23 2020
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Makerere University has released a survey that shows that phones are spoiling girls and aiding communication that translates into risky sexual behaviours contributing to the high adolescent pregnancies in the country.
Several mini researches that came out during the coronavirus lockdown show a worrying trend of teenage pregnancies with no clear plans on how to tackle the problem.
During the dissemination of the “sexual and reproductive health information and determinants of adolescent pregnancy, among adolescents in Wakiso and Kamuli districts ”on Thursday last week, the lead investigators indicated that parents who had no or little time to speak to their children about sexual and reproductive health issues risked their adolescents engaging in unsafe sexual behaviour.