A group of non-government organizations (NGOs), together with legislators under the Parliamentary Forum to End Child Marriages and Teenage Pregnancies, has advocated for collaborative efforts, seeking the engagement of men and boys, among other initiatives, to yield results in the fight against teenage pregnancies and early marriages.

As per the National Strategy to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy 2022/2023–2026/2027 report, the current teenage pregnancy rate in Uganda stands at 25%, the highest in East Africa.

Stakeholders comprised of NGO members, including Raising Teenagers Uganda and the Women’s Probornal Initiative, met with MPs under the Parliamentary Forum to End Child Marriages and Teenage Pregnancies to discuss the urgency with which efforts to fight teenage pregnancies and early marriages should be accelerated.

NGO members stated their intentions to work hand-in-hand with other partners, including parliament, to boost existing programs to save girls facing early pregnancies and marriages.

They also emphasized the relevance of involving and engaging the men and boys in societies to have them come on board as a measure to seek protection of girls from the vice. 

Speaking in legal terms, a representative from the Women’s Pro-bono Initiative highlighted the effects of teenage pregnancies on the development of girls in the country.

The MPs under the Uganda parliamentary forum to end child marriage and teenage pregnancy identified several contributing factors to this issue and proposed potential solutions for implementation.

Teenage pregnancies and early marriages remain one of the key contributors to the slow development of girls in Uganda, rooted in, among other factors, the denial of girls to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and general well-being.