There has been an increase in child mothers in Uganda, and this is due to several factors, including social, economic, and cultural issues.
Many child mothers come from low-income families and communities where poverty is widespread. Heightened economic hardship leads families to marry off their daughters at a young age in exchange for dowries or to reduce the financial burden of caring for a girl child.
Nwoya district in the northern region is one of the areas grappling with an increase in child mothers, with 26% of girls affected by child motherhood, which is attributed to poverty and domestic violence.
Patricia Anena, a teacher from Lira district, said that limited access to education, particularly for girls in rural areas, is a cause of child motherhood. She added that when girls don’t have the opportunity to attend school, they are at a higher risk of early marriage and pregnancy, leading to a rise in child mothers.
“It is unfortunate that the girls are not given a right to education compared to the boys. Families look at educating boys as girls stay at home to learn house chores so that they are able to take on marriage when the time comes,” Anena said.
Deep-seated cultural norms and traditions, which include early marriage practices, can contribute to the prevalence of child mothers. In some communities, traditional beliefs and customs dictate that girls should marry at a young age, perpetuating the cycle of early pregnancies and motherhood.
Limited knowledge about reproductive health and family planning has resulted in unintended pregnancies among young girls. Inadequate access to comprehensive sexual education and reproductive health services has contributed to higher rates of adolescent pregnancy and child motherhood. Parents find it hard to talk to their daughters about sex and its consequences. For example, parents need to teach them that after a girl has received her first menstruation period, it is an indicator that she can easily conceive if she indulges in unprotected sex.
Gender disparities and discrimination are major contributors to early marriage and childbearing; in many cases, girls may be seen as having less value than boys, leading to early marriage as a way to secure their future or reduce the perceived burden on their families.
In areas affected by conflict, displacement, or humanitarian crises, the breakdown of social structures and the loss of livelihoods heighten the vulnerability of girls to early marriage and motherhood.
In Western Uganda, particularly Kabale district, it is estimated that for the period of 2021 and 2022, the district registered a total of 1,506 teenage pregnancies, which translates to 125 teenage pregnancies per month. In the financial year 2022/2023, they recorded a total of 1,404 teenage pregnancies. This translates to 117 teenage pregnancies per month.
Research released by UNFPA, the UN Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency, reveals that nearly a third of all women in developing countries begin childbearing at the age of 18 or younger, and nearly half of first births to adolescents are children or girls aged 16 or younger.
While global fertility has declined, UNFPA data showed that women who began childbearing in adolescence almost had five births, with Uganda having 4.8 by the time they turned 40 in 2020.
Dr. Peter Ibembe, the Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) Director of Programmes, said that when nearly a third of all women in Uganda are becoming mothers during adolescence, it is clear the country is unknowingly ruining the future of adolescent girls.
