By Amos Thembo
Since the closure of schools in May 2021 due to Covid 19 lockdown, parents and young girls have been prone to many challenges. The impact of lockdown has been felt on young girls hailing from rural communities. There has been increase in registered number of teenage pregnancies, defilement and elopements among school going age. This is worrying because victims have not only been exposed to giving birth to children early but also high risks of contracting sexually transmitted disease like HIV/AIDS.
The recent report by the district indicates that over 100 girls were defiled, impregnated and got married between May and July 2021. This is attributed to inability of the parents to meet their basic needs, limited life skills like problem solving, assertiveness, high self-esteem, and self awareness thus opting to early marriage as a solution to their apparent challenges. The report indicated that a big number of primary seven leavers, senior one and two students were the most victims. This darkens their future and will increase inherent poverty levels among the rural communities due to giving birth to unplanned for children. There is need for development actors to rescue the girls living in rural communities.
In line with what we do and believe in, CAH is grateful to organizations that fight gender based violence (GBV) and violence against children’s rights in Rwenzori region.
https://www.unicef.org/uganda/stories/when-shocking-statistics-indicate-positive-new-trend#