How scattered water sources, culture have increased teenage pregnancies in Rwenzori

A 14 year old mother in Bugoye, Ibanda, Kasese district attends a seminar for teenage mothers. Photo by Moris Mumbere

BY FELIX BASIIME

& MORIS MUMBERE

OCTOBER 30, 2019

UGANDA: Long distance to safe water sources in some parts of the Rwenzori sub region, in Western Uganda and culture has increased teenage pregnancies according to local leaders.

Kasese district chairman, Mr Sibendire Bigogo said that young girls trek long distances to fetch water after classes and along the way they is defiled.

He said that teenage pregnancy and early marriages are highest in Maliba, Bwesumbu, Bugoye, Munkunyu, Kitswamba, Kyabarungira, Buhuhira and Kyalhumba sub counties in the hilly Busongora north.

“We shall start arresting men who lure these young girls and the rest will learn and fear to engage in such useless early marriage issues” Sibendire said.

Bigogo that he was shocked at Kitswamba Health Center III last month where he found girls between 14 to 16 years having three or more children.

“Of course these girls were actually defiled but most of them don’t report to authorities including police” Bigogo noted.

Daily Monitor found, Ms Bridget Biira, 18 at Kitswamba Health Center III where she had come for medical checkup.

The mother of three children said that she was defiled at the age of 16 while as she fetched water at a well in the evening. She was then in primary six and was forced to drop out of school.

A midwife at the facility who preferred anonymity said that at least 15 young girls are received daily for antenatal care.

Most residents we talked to attributed the problem to scarcity of water in the area which they said forces many children to trek long distances in search of water.

Mr Swaibu Mujungu, a teacher at Kitswamba SDA primary school said that young girls in the area were being waylaid on the way home by people luring them into immature relationships.

Medical records at Kitswamba Health Center III show that in July those who attended Antenatal clinic at the age between 10-19 were 17 women, in August were 11 women while in September were 10.

“Therefore this indicates that in a period of 3 months a total of 38 teenage pregnancies and subsequently early marriages were registered in Kiwamba Sub County alone” observed Ms Angela Byangwa, the Executive Director Rwenzori Anti-Corruption Coalition (RAC).

Teachers blamed

Parents in Mukunyu Sub County, the leading sub county in early marriages have blamed teachers as key in abating the problem in the area.

“The situation in our villages is so scaring, during evening preps and night winters for learners, most teachers and head teachers don’t wake up to monitor and supervise how the children behave, teachers spend more time with our children than we parents, what they plan during school days is not known to some of us, most of the bad characters are trained from schools yet we parents sent innocent children to schools” Mr Semu Bikasobera, a parent said.

Mr George Mayinja, the district education officer said it is true some teachers have been accused of sexual harassment of girls in schools and urged head teachers to be vigilant and do what is expected of them since they are the first inspectors in schools.

Leaders in Nyamwamba division in Kasese municipality said there is a high number of younger mothers and defilement and attributed it to poverty, domestic violence and culture.

 “In Konjo culture a female is capable of forming a family at 15 years” said the Nyamwamba division chairman, Mr Sayidi Kisuki, adding, “This is evidenced when mothers tell their children how they got married to their fathers between 14 and 18 years”.

Poor structures

However some residents attributed increase in teenage pregnancies to some parents who share their small rooms with children who in turn tend to discover and copy from their parents.

The vice chairperson for Kitswamba Sub County, Ms Naume Muthanaba said the challenge of early marriages in Kasese district can be addressed only if parents met their obligations, if residents are sensitized on the value of education, dropping cultural beliefs and practices, and if residents learnt to respect the rights of children.

She said that in the densely populated area of Railway Parish, parents have continued to share single rooms with their children. She said this has led to children to practice sexual issues copying from the parents who no longer have secrecy.

Distant health centers

The furthest person to access Railway health center II is at 6 Km. women have to trek long distances under the hot temperatures to access services like Antenatal, Immunisation according to a September report by RAC.

According to Ms Nyakato Constance, the councilor for Central division, Kasese municipality, there are increased cases of defilement, early marriages, and teenage pregnancies.

“Parents have only detected defilement after the occurrence of pregnancy. This means every defilement case is presented with teenage pregnancies in Railway Parish. All cases of defilement are concealed and silently happening with the knowledge of any of the parents”.

Ray of hope

Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) with support from UN Women is implementing Budgeting for Gender and Equity Project (B4GE) in Kasese, Abim and Kampala, Amuria, Gulu and Kitgum. B4GE project will enhance capacities of gender and women rights networks and institutions to effectively demand for gender equality and women empowerment (GEWE) commitments in the Government budgets. The project has been running from July and will end in December.

The project which is also partnered with RAC advocates for gender and women rights networks and institutions to demand for gender responsive service delivery, access to equal opportunities and empowerment of women and girls’ commitments in line with global norms and standards.

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Other Interventions

Of recent, six schools in Kasese district have been selected as pilot to champion control of early child marriages in the district.

“We {Kasese} are known in the whole country as the leading district in early child marriage and as leaders we decided to identify few schools which can work as samples for others in educating them on better behaviors to reduce the child marriage virus in the district” said Ms Rebbecca Kabugho, the Executive director Girl empowerment foundation.

Kabugho said that there are lots of negative stories and statistics about girls in the district which are alarming and the district leaders had to act first to reduce the growing habits of early marriages in young girls to have a better future.

The selected schools include Mbunga, Kimandama, Nyakazinga, Bunyandiko primary schools and Mt. Rwenzori girls and Royal rangers’ secondary schools which will be models for other schools and the young mothers in the community.

“The selected schools will work as sample schools for the entire community on teaching better safe ways to avoid child marriage in the district”.

Mr Godson Mumbere, the Executive Director Vision International Actors, an NGO in Kasese said that teenage mothers face several challenges that hinder their education performance like menstruation hygiene, forced marriage, gender based violence, abortion and use of excessive drugs to prevent pregnancy which are applied on their lives to suit in the community as well as avoiding challenges that put them to shame.

Mumbere whose NGO deals in sexual reproductive health rights explained that domestic violence, denial of food and forced marriages allegedly done by parents on young girls “has affected the girls physiologically and emotionally and most parents prefer boys education to girls which demoralize girls and decide anyhow yet as human beings we have equal rights”.

According to Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2014, in Bukonjo County East, with a population of 165,067, females aged between 10 to 19 years who have ever been married were 2, 698, while females aged between 12 to 19 who had ever given birth were 2,590.

The same report shows that in Busongora north, with a population of 180,810, only 14, 410 people could access piped water and only 2,793 could access bore hole water.

Summary of some case categories reported in the last year 2018 in Kasese district

CASE	REPORTED	INVESTIGATED	CONVICTED
Forced marriage	2	2	2
Child marriage	9	7	5
Defilement	21 (9 boys 12 girls)	21	11
Child labour	7	7	3

Source: Kasese Central Police station

Summary of some case categories reported at Kasese Central Police station from January 1, 2019 to October 27, 2019

Case	Court going	Pending inquiry	Put away	Convicted
Aggravated defilement	14	07	00	00
Simple defilement	22	21	06	04
Attempted rape	00	00	01	00
Attempted defilement	00	01	00	00

Source: Kasese Central Police station

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