‘North, west top early marriages’
What you need to know:
Appalling. Report shows that Uganda stands at 40 per cent child marriages
Kampala.
A new report shows that northern and western Uganda top in early marriages with 59 and 58 per cent respectively of girls married off before the age of 18.
The report was authored by Forum For African Women Educationalists (FAWE), a non-government organisation that works to achieve gender equity and equality in education.
The report also indicates that Uganda still ranks high among nations with early marriages at 40 per cent compared to other African countries rated at 39 per cent.
Speaking at the launch of the report, Mr Moses Ntenga, the director of Joy For Children Uganda,(JFCU), said, “Gender discrimination, insecurity, harmful traditional practices and weak laws are the major causes of child marriage.”
The report points at inequality in homes where parents favour boys to attain higher education than girls. “Girls are not given an independent voice in decision making at home, dictated against for instance in marriage and property inheritance,” the reports says.
Last year, a report by the Population Secretariat indicated that a total of 300,000 girls get pregnant prematurely every year.
At the centre of the defilement and child marriage, the report cites disabled girls as the most vulnerable. Their plight is worsened by societal discrimination and denial of a right to education, the report explains.
In addition, children with disability lack facilities like wheelchairs, making them fail to access schools. The report also says children with disability get traumatised by fellow students who call them “mulema” and other demeaning names.
Ms Joyce Atimango, the executive director of Trailblazers Mentoring Foundation, suggested that the young mothers should be given a chance to go back to school after child birth.
Rankings
Northern region: 59%
Western region: 58%
Eastern region: 52%
Central region: 41%
Kampala: 21%