Government has urged parents to strengthen their nurturing skills to end child marriages and early pregnancies in the country.
The 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health survey (UDHS) statistics reveals that Uganda only reduced child marriage and teenage pregnancy by 1 per cent from 25 per cent since 2016.
State minister for youth and children affairs Sarah Mateke Nyirabashitsi believes there is a need to empower families to address the crisis.
She further called on parents to create time for their children as opposed to neglecting their core parental duties.
Uganda’s gender ministry said there’s a need for assessing government approaches in the fight against child marriages and rampant teenage pregnancies.
Gender ministry principal officer Annet Kabarungi said there is a need to play roles and reflect on the performance in different structures of the government for accountability.
But Action Aid Uganda country director Xavier Ejoyi held that some Societies have failed to recognize children as children; they rather look at them as potential spouses and mothers.
He therefore said there is a need to change the norms that position children as sexual partners and mothers.
