Nabbanja calls for intervention to reduce teenage pregnancies

By Moses Ndhaye

The rate of teenage pregnancy in Uganda has stagnated at 25% for over a decade, a report released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has revealed.

 This is far higher than the country’s desired rate and target of at least 15% by 2020.

The report, titled, the cost of inaction, the economic and social burden of teenage pregnancy in Uganda indicates that the percentage of women aged between 15-19 years who have given birth or are pregnant declined between 2001 and 2006 from 31% to 25%, it has stagnated at 25% for over the last fifteen years.

This is mainly attributed to sexual violence, limited access to integrated sexual and reproductive health services, gender-based violence, and cultural norms that cherish early marriages among others.

The Population Secretariat indicates that of the 1.2 million pregnancies recorded in Uganda annually, 25% of these are teenage pregnancies.

The report indicates that in 2021 for example, about 31,566 girls got pregnant on a monthly basis, an equivalent of 1,052 daily.

 Officiating at the launch of the report Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja called for more intervention to help the country reduce the cases of teenage pregnancy.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna