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Dr Edward Mwesigye, the District Health Officer said these pregnancies were recorded in the first quarter of 2023.
The numbers then slightly went up from 319 cases recorded from October to December 2022. He added saying that the major course of these pregnancies are due to neglect and parents failing to provide basic needs.
“Men who are supposed to be heads of families have left their responsibilities to women who at the end of the day are overburdened and can’t provide all that is required,” he said.
He added that with such a situation in homes, girls drop out of schools and land into hands of selfish people like boda boda riders and drug users. These promise to give the young girls money and in the end impregnate them.
“With their little education and knowledge about reproductive health, girls end up getting pregnant by irresponsible men who can’t take care of them and the trend continues,” he added.
To make matters worse, Dr Mwesigye said teenage mothers do not usually go for antenatal care. This leaves them unprepared for safe delivery.
Mr. Aggrey Kakembo, the District Probation Officer said most of these cases are considered defilement cases. He said if caught, they can attract lenient sentences.
He also revealed that parents usually prefer to collect money from the perpetrators and hide their identity.
In other cases, he said they let the boy’s parents take responsibility of raising the baby and taking care of the girl rather than pursuing a court case. Mr Kakembo called for mass sensitization and urged the government to strengthen laws against such cases.
In September 2022, the Mbarara High Court Circuit held a special session on Sexual and Gender-based Violence for greater Bushenyi. 48 of the 61 cases handled were for aggregated defilement.
Check Also;
- Man, 22, Arrested Over Sodomizing 12-Year-Old Boy
- Kalangala Parents Demand For Foot Patrols Due To Increased Defilement Cases
- SOROTI: Two Politicians Arrested Over Defilement
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![[dropcap]A[/dropcap] section of women in Bugongo parish and Nawangaiza parish in Nawandala Sub County, Iganga District have decried the near-impossible terms set for them to access GROW funds. They have now petitioned their woman member of parliament for Iganga Hon. Kauma Sauda Alibaawo to ask the government for revised terms and conditions. This is to enable them to benefit from the program. The disgruntled women accuse the implementers of the program of charging the money. They are also asking for their land titles and land agreements. They said that such properties are governed by their husbands. These, therefore want the government through their woman MP to intervene and revise the requirements for one to benefit. The women were on Wednesday at Namabwere primary school in Nawandala Sub County. They had gathered in their respective groups to receive over 300 chickens from Hon Alibaawo in her campaign to improve the livelihood of women in Iganga district. Each group was given 50 chicken as start-up capital in their journey to prosperity. Read what some leaders said; Ms Naigambi Lydia from Nawandala Trading Centre says, “They solicited money from us through opening bank accounts and depositing Shs80,000. They also asked for land titles and land agreements from us yet we don’t have such things. I was informed that I needed to have a business with a capital of Shs4m yet my capital was very small.” The chairperson Kisoboka Saving Group in Nawandala Ms. Nakagolo Faith said they were not able to join the program. This is given the many conditions attached. She also asked their woman MP to raise their concerns to the relevant offices. The MP condemned the mode of implementation of the program. She cited that it has turned to benefit the well-off class of women other than the intended group. She further asked the government to intervene saying the current strings attached to the programme are very tight to accommodate a common woman. GROW project is a Government of Uganda initiative that arose out of the need to respond to the needs of women entrepreneurs. This is especially those who want to grow their businesses, sustain their self-employment and create more jobs. Check Also; Iganga District NRM Leaders Urge Museveni To Fulfill Election Promises Of 2021 International Women's Day: Celebrating Progress Towards Equality](https://newslexpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Iganga-women-decry-tough-terms-to-access-GROW-funds-e1731738339732.jpg)