The new study revealed that Teenage Repeat pregnancies and early /forced marriages are caused by child labor that highly exists in far to reach areas.
The study that was conducted by AMREF Health Africa in four districts namely Mbale ,Namayingo , Kalangala and Kween in a period of 7 months further indicated that poverty plays a big role in driving the vice as parents take their young girls as property
While disseminating the study, Edith Namugabo the Youth and Community Engagement Officer said that irresponsible and negative parenting has also led to the vices explaining that parents abandoned their roles of guiding, protecting and feeding their children most especially girls.
“Sometimes parents do it negatively, they keep discouraging the girls instead of empowering them. That's why they end up losing self esteem and even fail to fight for their rights”,Namugabo stated.
She added that Ignorance of the community about the dangers of repetitive and early /forced marriages has also continued to put the lives of girls at a high risk of becoming victims.
She said that cultural norms have highly driven the vices.” What is becoming a norm is fundraising for burial expenses, normally at night in the form of parties with loud music, these activities have turned out to be fertile grounds for teenagers to engage in sexual activities”.Namugabo narrated.
Namugabo however called for a multi sectoral approach if the country is to curb the existence of repeat teenage pregnancies and early/forced marriages adding that the society shouldn’t leave the fight to the government and non-governmental organisations.
She also asked parents to keep girls in school saying that it highly eases the fight since being in school keeps them busy focusing on pursuing a better future
The study was conducted by AMREF Health Africa and other partners under their programme dubbed Heroes For Gender Transformative Action with support from the Embassy of Netherlands in Uganda. The study was also done in commemoration of the 16 days of activism against Gender Based Violence.
