RAMPANT TEENAGE PREGNANCIES, EARLY CHILDHOOD MARRIAGES AND GBV LEADING TO HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS IN KANCHIBIYA

Kanchibya MP Sunday Chanda writes….

It is regrettable that Kanchibiya District recorded 71 girls dropping out of school due to teenage pregnancies in 2021 alone. Teenage pregnancy is a major barrier to staying in school for young girls in rural areas, including Kanchibiya. When girls become pregnant, it is very challenging for them to continue their education and achieve their career goals. Engaging in early sexual activity also exposes girls to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as HIV, syphilis, herpes, gonorrhea and others. Research has shown that girls in rural areas experience these challenges much more acutely than those in urban areas.

The absence of boarding facilities for girls and boys within Kanchibiya District further exposes girls from far flung areas as they have to find temporary shelter near markets and bars as weekly boarders. This alone is a driver as it exposes girls to all forms of vices such as casual and transactional sex, and gender-based violence. These girls also usually have no access to sexual reproductive health services to prevent unplanned pregnancies and STIs.

Girls have the same right to education as boys and once educated, they can make informed choices from a far better range of options. Educating girls also saves lives and builds stronger families, communities and economies, making them less dependent on male partners for livelihoods. Hence, eventually, an educated female population increases a country’s productivity and fuels economic growth. I therefore make is a clarion call to all key stakeholders such as government, traditional and religious leaders, CSOs and families to act decisively in protecting the girl-child.

The levels of poverty at household level in areas like Kanchibiya District is one of the drivers of early childhood marriages and teenage pregnancies. In this regard, let me commend Government for the increased allocation towards women and youth empowerment through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Sustainable development can only be achieved when the girl child and women in general are educated and economically empowered. All this is reversed when girls drop out of school early due to teenage pregnancies, childhood marriages and gender based violence against girls and women. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), if women in rural areas had access to the same technology, financial services, education, and markets as men, they could increase agricultural production to feed up to 150 million hungry people globally. Studies further show that women reinvest 90% of their income into the family, compared to 30 to 40% by men. This means women spend more on their children in terms of food, shelter, and education, which creates long-term social and economic gains for their communities. This makes them an integral part of ending the cycle of poverty. In fact, if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farm by 20% to 30%.

I therefore call on Government and all Cooperating partners to prioritize increased allocation of resources and attention to the provision of sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services in rural-based constituencies. The absence of sexual and reproductive health and rights facilities and services to protect girls and women remains a huge challenge in Kanchibiya District.

In this regard, there is need to protect all women and girls by prioritizing the provision of sexual and reproductive health information and services including psychosocial support, menstrual hygiene facilities and protection from gender-based violence. There is further need to address the lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services and rights for women and girls in rural areas and ensure availability of contraceptives for women to make informed choices around family planning.

I also appeal to Government and Cooperating partners to support the establishment of youth friendly centers at community-level in different wards to promote social protection and ensure adolescent health, rights and wellbeing of girls at school and within the community. This is in line with the UN global commitment to universal access to healthcare.