Africa-Press – Uganda. Bushenyi District has registered 2,103 teenage pregnancies since the start of Covid-19 induced lockdown in March last year.
While releasing a report on teenage pregnancies in Bushenyi at the weekend, the district probation and welfare officer, Ms Faith Amanya, said this was the first time the district was registering an increase in teenage pregnancies.
“The lockdown has exposed the weakness of parents at family level. Teachers cannot take care of our children more than us parents. It’s our core responsibility as parents to protect our children from such hazards,” Ms Amanya said.
She added: “When you look at the trend most of the affected areas in the district have economically well off people with better income and they use money to seduce young people into sexual acts at a young age.”
According to Ms Amanya, the most affected areas include Kyamuhunga Sub-county, Rwentuha Town Council, and Kizinda Kigoma Town Council.
The Bushenyi District speaker, Mr Dagalous Mucunguzi, said he would task councillors to come up with a detailed report on the matter so that the district can find solutions to the problem.
The Greater Bushenyi police spokesperson, Mr Marshal Tumusiime, said at least 200 suspects were arrested in 2020 and charged with defilement in courts of law.
“Most cases are not reported to police because parents tend to negotiate with the suspects,” Mr Tumusiime said.
The director of Reach a Teenager Organisation in Bushenyi said: “Parents should stop acting as strangers but take full responsibility of their children because this is Africa, not Europe if not the number is increasing.”
