The United Nations Fund for Populations Activities—UNFPA is calling on the Uganda government to ensure that age-appropriate information and sexuality education is made available in and out of schools.
According to the UNFPA, one in every four pregnancies in Uganda is among teenagers.
Janet Jackson, the UNFPA representative in Uganda, says young people need to have the ability to access specialized youth-friendly services. This, she says, will enable them discuss their health needs and make a choice that is right for them.
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Ahead of the World Population Day on Wednesday next week, Jackson notes that where there is no access to health services, there is a high number of teenage pregnancies coupled with unsafe abortions. It is also noted that unsafe abortions among adolescents has greatly increased maternal mortality in Uganda.
A survey carried out in Kampala showed that 21 percent of school-going girls had carried out abortions. Jackson notes that this is because most girls between the ages of 12 and 14 do not know what choices they have to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies.
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Youth make up 70 percent of Uganda’s population with 56 percent being under the age of 15 years.
Dr. JenniferWanyana, the Commissioner for Health Reproduction, says the Ministry of Health has established a policy to set up youth corners in health centre fours. This is to enable young people liaise with health workers to understand their needs.
They also provide information on relationships, knowing their bodies and how to access and choose birth control methods.
With the ministry of gender, UNFPA is working with communities to empower and incorporate the youth by giving them a voice in social development and reproductive health.
