12, and a Mother
In Paya, Tororo, 12 -year old Rose discovered that she was pregnant and going to be a mother in a few months' time. Rose lives with her parents in a small village called Atapara in Paya Sub-County, Tororo district. At the age of 10, Rose dropped out of school because there was no money to pay her school fees and buy the necessary school requirements.
She got pregnant when she was 11 years old after a village night dance at a burial with her boyfriend. The boyfriend told her during the night that they would go together with him to their home after the dance which she agreed. They slept together and after that, she did not see her period again.
“What happened to me was all about poverty and financial problems. I wanted to study but my parents had no money to buy me books and pay school fees. I was very bright in school but things were very difficult” Rose narrates.
Her father had two wives, and her mom was the second one with about 12 children.
My father never had enough money to cater for the two families which was very difficult for us to bear.
She stopped schooling and started loitering in the villages. In every function that involved music and dance, she would attend.
Rose on discovering that she was pregnant, decided to flee away from home because of fear that her father would disown her. She was later conceived by her mother to return home and take care of herself until she gives birth.
Rose gave birth to a baby girl on 20th/ November 2022 at the age of 12 years.
The cause of teenage pregnancy in Uganda is poverty. You end up like this when you have some needs, and your parents don’t have money. If you ask for lunch, he or she just tells you, “I don’t have money.” And so they suggest that you struggle for yourself, and you look for money. And you get it, but it leads to these problems, like getting pregnant when you are still young.
According to the World Health Organization, Adolescent pregnancy is a global phenomenon with clearly known causes and serious health, social and economic consequences.
The WHO also cited that Child marriage and child sexual abuse place girls at increased risk of pregnancy, often unintended. In many places, barriers to obtaining and using contraceptives prevent adolescents from avoiding unintended pregnancies.
FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO TEENAGE PREGNANCIES.
Pressure among girls to marry and bear children have placed girl go into child marriage which increases the risk of teenage pregnancy because girls who are married early have no self-esteem to influence decision-making in delaying childbearing and contraceptive use.
Contraceptives are not easily accessible to adolescents in many places in the community. Even when adolescents can obtain contraceptives, they may lack the agency or the resources to pay for them, knowledge of where to obtain them, and how to correctly use them. They may face stigma when trying to obtain contraceptives. Further, they are often at higher risk of discontinuing use due to side effects, and due to changing life circumstances and reproductive intentions.
Child sexual abuse increases the risk of unintended pregnancies. A WHO report dated 2020 estimates that 120 million girls aged under 20 years have experienced some form of forced sexual contact. This abuse is deeply rooted in gender inequality; it affects more girls than boys, although many boys are also affected.
Adolescent pregnancy is a global phenomenon with clearly known causes and serious health, social and economic consequences to individuals, families, and communities. There is consensus on the evidence-based actions needed to prevent it.
I want to be faithful to my girl, providing her with what she wants, in order to reach her goals.