Information Gap On Youth Adolescent Issues Fueling Teenage Pregnancies

By. Our reporter

The programme officer at the national population council, John Ampaire is attributing the continued increase in early teenage pregnancies to the huge information gap among the youth on sexual reproductive health.

Giving a key note address at the 5^th annual inter-generational dialogue today in Kampala, Ampaire revealed that the failure by those in authority to listen and act on issues that affect the youth continues to worsen the problem which in the long run will affect Uganda’s development.

He further highlights the burden between urban and rural women when it comes to getting pregnant and on this note he decries the rate at which rural adolescent females get pregnant.

Meanwhile, the programme officer Reach A hand Uganda, Winnie Watera expresses worries that the country is likely to have a huge population which it cannot easily manage to take care of.

However, they ask govt to consider creating more youth friendly corners in health centers to handle youth health issues.

Reports from national population council indicate that one out of three female adolescents get pregnant and out of these, 44% pregnancies are unwanted.

The worrying figures are coupled with these youths not having better skills to sustain their livelihoods.

But the insufficient information on sexual reproductive health among Ugandan adolescent is a great burden that need to be handled at all fronts by all Ugandans.

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