Religious leaders blamed for undermining anti-teen pregnancy campaign

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Moses Agaba

Some civil society organisations, politicians and medical stakeholders have accused religious leaders of undermining campaigns aimed at reducing rampant teenage pregnancy in Uganda.

This took place during the Kigezi Region Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Dialogue organized by the NGO, Local Sustainable Communities LOSCO at the White Horse Inn in Kabale.

During the dialogue, Kabale District Health Officer, Dr. Gilbert Mateeka said that the national teenage pregnancy rate has been hovering between 23% and 24% for the past 3-4 years, with an average of 1,300 teenage pregnancies per year in Kabale District alone. He added that most of these girls eventually drop out of school to become mothers, while others die during childbirth or abortions.

Dr. Matikka said that while some government officials and religious leaders are concerned about the legal and ethical issues involved, health service providers are always the ones who bear the brunt of all the problems associated with teenage pregnancy, including miscarriage, abortion and complications during childbirth.

Florence Tumuheirwe, executive director of Kigezi Women for Development (KWID), said human rights activists were threatened by the public, including religious leaders, for advocating for sex education and the use of family planning methods as a means to curb teenage pregnancies.

LOSCO Executive Director, Albert Taremwa, said he was sad to see Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, join the chorus of opposition to the government’s policy to approve the use of contraceptives by sexually active teenagers.

Sam Arinaitwe, chairman of the Kabale Central chapter LC.3, said politicians have been avoiding supporting the use of family planning methods and promoting sex education because they fear religious leaders will speak out against both campaigns.

Dr. Godfrey Bampabuvir, head of Muko Health Centre No. 4 in Rubanda district, revealed that in just seven months, he personally performed Caesarean sections on three girls who gave birth before their menarche. He believes that people should not only view teenage pregnancy as a cultural, legal or moral issue, but also as a threat to the lives and futures of the victims.

However, Ronald Mutunji, Legal and Human Rights Officer at Kigezi Regional Police Station, encouraged civil society organizations to continue pushing for measures that would help reduce teenage pregnancies despite interference from religious and cultural leaders. He explained that before being transferred to Kigezi, he was one of the police officers advocating for the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Sipi District.

Martin Niwataho, assistant regional coordinator for Kabale district, said he was also against the use of contraceptive pills by young girls as it would expose them to health problems such as infertility in the future, but he supported the use of condoms, adding that they were safe.

Kigezi Diocesan Education Secretary Derek Mutahakana and Kabale Muslim District Council Shariah Head Sheikh Abdul Hasib Sekalema insisted that encouraging the use of condoms or other contraceptive measures would only encourage immoral behaviour among teenagers. They said abstinence promotion should be prioritised over any other means of reducing teenage pregnancies.