Atleast 1432 teenagers have reported to health centers in Luwero for antenatal care after conceiving within the past four months, a report has revealed.
According to Luwero district report on teenage pregnancies from July-October 2023, atleast 13 girls below the age of 15 years and 1419 girls between 15 -19 years sought antenatal services for the first time after getting pregnant.
From the statistics above, on average atleast 11 girls report to health centers for the first time each day after getting pregnant.
The report names the areas with the highest number of girls who got pregnant as Luwero town council which had 301 girls, Bombo town council recorded 156 girls and Kikyusa sub county had 147 cases.
Others areas are Kalagala sub county registered 143 girls, Zirobwe sub county had 130 girls and Katikamu sub county had 111 girls.
Florence Namuyanja, the Luwero District Health Assistant in Charge of Maternal Health explained that some of the girls who turned up pregnant confessed to the midwives that they were impregnated by close relatives, teachers and friends.
Namuyanja said that the girls are undergoing counseling on specific days to prepare them for the task ahead of delivery and ensure they are not victimized by adult mothers.
She however noted that the cases of teenage pregnancies are higher than those registered at health centers because other girls resort to Traditional Birth Attendants in fear that their boyfriends may tracked and prosecuted.
A teenage mother found at Luwero Hospital said that she was lured into sexual activities by her peers before she got pregnant. Another explained that she got pregnant because of lack of basic facilities at home that pushed her to look for ways of survival.
Joyce Namigadde, the Luwero District Probation Officer said that most girls who get pregnant end up dropping out of school and others battle health complications during deliveries.
Namigadde added that teenage mothers don’t report most of the defilement cases to the Police after they are compromised whereas others are intimidated by relatives.
She warned that the cases are likely to escalate in the holidays if the parents don’t take extra measures to talk to their children about the dangers of early sex and impose restrictions on unnecessary outings.
Namigadde also cautioned the parents against leaving children to watch television soaps and social media without guidance.
A parent in Kikyusa sub county whose child is among the victims of defilement says that cases are increasing because the suspects can be able to get out of jail under unclear grounds. She narrated how her 13-year-old daughter was defiled by her teacher at Rapha Primary School and reported the matter to Luwero Central Police which arrested him.
She is however disappointed that the teacher was granted bail by Luwero High Court in November this year after spending four months only four months on remand.
The parent granting such suspects a bad precedent and encourages other men to abuse their child leaving some pregnant.
Brenda Nabukenya, the Luwero District Woman Member of Parliament said there was a need for local governments to regulate operations of entertainment places in trading centers and ensure they don’t grant access to children below 18 years because these end up exposing them to content that attracts them to sex.
Nabukenya adds that there is also a need for Parliament to discuss a policy where girls especially those not that drop out of school are allowed to access contraceptives to stop the increasing number of pregnancies.
According to the Luwero health report, atleast 42 girls below 15 years and 4480 girls below age 19 years got pregnant in the financial year 2022/23.
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