Of all the cracks the Covid-19 lock-down exposed, the social issue of teenage pregnancies in Uganda still sticks out like a sore thumb. Because of school closure, teenagers were out of school and idled for a long time which allowed the boom of teenage pregnancies.

A teenager is a person aged 13 to 19 years, but some pre-teen girls aged 9 to 12 years face the same vulnerabilities teenagers face. Teenagehood is a stage of curiosity and body changes. Teenagers are usually perceived as the most rebellious and difficult lot. It is easy to perceive teenagers as mature because they take on a more adult-like look body-wise, and yet, in actual sense, they need the most guidance. The evidence that teenagers need more guidance than they receive is in the UNFPA 2021 report, which estimated that 32,566 teenagers got pregnant monthly in Uganda in 2020–an equivalent of 1,052 pregnant teenagers a day.

"32,566 teenagers got pregnant monthly in Uganda in 2020–an equivalent of 1,052 pregnant teenagers a day."

The number of teenage pregnancies saw a staggering increase in the Covid-19 lock-down. While many sources and leaders blame the closure of schools, a lack of proper awareness and sensitization is a significant contributor to this spike. Avoiding the teenage pregnancy problem by keeping teens occupied with school leaves them vulnerable to the same problem when unpredictable events like the lockdown take them out of school. This vulnerability stems from the shortage of the right information teenagers need to make choices in their best interest. This is especially important because of the curious age at which teenagers are. They tend to have so much zeal and energy for adventure, no matter how risky. While these are commendable and brave characteristics, they are a recipe for disaster if these teenagers do not have sufficient guidance.

Another cause of teenage pregnancies is early marriages. As earlier mentioned, when children turn into teenagers, their bodily changes make them look like adults, yet they are still immature. This is when some parents, especially those who lack exposure, decide to marry their children off. While most parents who do this know that it is unlawful, their biggest driver is usually the cultural norms of their particular society. These parents believe that they have their children’s best interests at heart. As such decisions are made, important matters like the downsides of early marriages are hardly contemplated. Issues like difficulty in childbearing by immature mothers, consequential high maternal mortality rates, mental distress for young mothers, and depression, among other dire consequences, are ignored.

Some ways to curb rampant teenage pregnancies include 1) Talking to the teenagers first. Reproductive health education and personal responsibility should be at the front and center in combating this issue. Teenagers need to learn how to responsibly manage their sexual and relational curiosity. 2) Creating safe spaces for teenagers to express themselves. Safe environments for teenage counselling and support could also be provided to create safe sharing channels that provide wholesome guidance on navigating their lives and choices. Teenagers are delicate and need careful handling and nurturing to help them reach their full potential. Creating safe spaces with well-trained counsellors or teachers to listen to and guide these teenagers would go a long way in combating teenage pregnancies. 3) Since early marriages are still rampant, the government could look into actively involving community leaders in the fight against early marriages. This could be achieved through rigorous awareness-building in communities, starting with respected elders who usually double as opinion leaders. This would be very beneficial because early marriages are a cultural norm in many communities, and shaking such norms can not be done only by laws but by having the whole community in agreement. Having community elders condemning early marriage would be a good starting place. 4) Vocational education would be the best way to enable some of these mothers to earn money to support their dependents. Scholarships for this purpose would be very helpful, and successful teenage mothers could be celebrated to enhance greater participation in such vocational programs.

Although Uganda is among the countries known for having an abundant young population, the quality of this population may be questionable and lack efficient productivity in years to come if issues like teenage pregnancies are not well addressed.