By Lamwaka Norine
DOKOLO. Parents have come under fire for negligence in regard to teenage pregnancy in the district.
Patrick Ouni the Disease Surveillance Focal Person of Dokolo District revealed that the District stands fourth in the entire Lango Sub Region with a total of 2,363 registered Teenage Pregnancies.
Following a stakeholders meeting, Mr. Ouni said they realized that in Dokolo there are areas where teenage pregnancy is very high saying it’s all attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in the lockdown of schools. The school-going children are not safe anymore since schools have been closed and parents have totally forgotten about their duties and responsibilities leaving children home not knowing what they involve themselves in. He strongly advised parents to play their roles so that whatever the children do out there portrays the homes they come from.
He urged the parents and elders to strongly take hold of their cardinal responsibilities saying all the teenage pregnancy is as a result of parents neglecting their parental duties and responsibilities citing an incidence where the elderly in the communities mix up with the teenagers interacting in unbecoming behaviours leading the minors into risks.
He furthermore said as the District, they have opened up a free space at the Health Facility to allow the teenagers who access services at the Health Center to open up and also interact freely with the service providers to get health care services.
Similarly, due to the increasing cases of teenage pregnancy in the entire country, legislators last week sought the attention of the Government on Teenage pregnancy and child marriages where the Parliament of Uganda has passed a motion asking the Government to urgently address the different challenges faced by the girl child where they cited Teenage Pregnancy, Early Child Marriages and also Trafficking as some of the issues that need immediate attention.
Speaking at the floor of Parliament on the same matter the woman MP Sarah Opendi of Tororo stressed that the Covid 19 Pandemic has worsened the pre-existing challenges facing the girl child, exacerbating the exposure of girls trafficking both internally and internationally, teenage pregnancies, child marriages, Poor menstrual hygiene on top of other Gender-based violence.
The Motion was seconded by many MPs who also noted that due to high levels of Teenage pregnancy and Early marriages many of the young Girls have acquired HIV/AIDS.
Deputy Speaker Anita Among said that the parents have moved away from their parenting roles. She also cited that parents are not talking to these children. Hon. Among urged parents to talk to both the boys and girls adding that sex education is useful. She tasked the Uganda Communications Commission to do something to limit pornographic movies on TVs.” END
