KAMPALA, Uganda — A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers from Uganda and Canada has revealed a startling rise in teenage motherhood in Uganda. The study, titled “Motherhood in Adolescence: Voices from the Margins,” was conducted by scholars from the University of Victoria, Canada, Makerere University, and the Nascent Research and Development Organisation (NRDO-U) in the Iganga and Kawempe regions.
The study, which was conducted in 2023, involved a comprehensive survey of 766 girls aged 10-19 in the Iganga and Kawempe regions. The findings paint a harrowing picture of the challenges faced by teenage mothers in these two areas, and by extension, the whole country.
According to the study, almost half (47.4%) of the girls in Iganga and 28% in Kawempe have experienced pregnancy, although not all carried the baby to term. Disturbingly, many of these young mothers met the men who impregnated them at their homes, with the men often being 1-6 years older.
The study also revealed that the age at which girls first became pregnant did not significantly differ between the two regions. Notably, most girls (74.4% in Iganga and 53.9% in Kawempe) received support from their mothers during pregnancy.
The study further uncovered multiple factors contributing to teenage pregnancies, including the failure to find contraceptives such as condoms, meeting a one-time financial need, and being forced into unwanted pregnancies by violent boyfriends.
“Girls as young as 10 are sexually active, with some becoming pregnant. This is a clear indication of the urgent need for better sexual and reproductive health education and services,” said Dr. Doris Kakuru, the principal investigator and a professor of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria.
The report goes on to highlight the societal stigma attached to teenage motherhood. For instance, about 46.7% of young mothers in Iganga and 20% in Kawempe expressed that they were not proud of their status. Particularly, community perceptions were overwhelmingly negative, with 40.7% in Iganga and 35.5% in Kawempe rating young motherhood as ‘bad.’
The other significant finding was the lack of access to essential reproductive health services. Over half of the girls who have been pregnant (62.6% in Kawempe and 52.7% in Iganga) wished they had known how to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Additionally, the study found that these girls need help accessing menstrual hygiene products, including underwear.
“The study found that many young mothers had sex to meet a financial need, with 15% in Kawempe and 5.5% in Iganga admitting to this,” Dr. Kakuru revealed in an interview.
Challenges in accessing antenatal services were also noted, with 56% of young mothers experiencing long wait times at health facilities.
“Only 37.9% of those who delivered at a healthcare facility were satisfied with the services, and 20.9% were very satisfied. Additionally, access to public health facilities, primary and secondary schools, and police stations was also found to be easier for girls in Kawempe than in Iganga,” she said.
The study also revealed concerning practices such as pregnancy and virginity tests, with 30% of girls in Kawempe undergoing pregnancy tests and 3.4% subjected to virginity tests.
“Alarmingly, some girls did not believe they had the right to report forced sex and physical violence perpetrated by their boyfriends, partners, or husbands,” Dr. Kakuru said.
The study thus revealed that contraceptive use among the girls was low, with 72% not using any contraceptives. Those who did use contraceptives started between the ages of 17 and 19, with injections from health centers being the most utilized method.
Given the above startling findings, the scholars recommend an urgent need for improved access to reproductive health education and services for young girls. They further root for addressing these challenges as a necessary step to improving the lives and futures of Uganda’s young girls, ensuring they have the support and resources needed to thrive.
They further call for immediate action to provide better sexual and reproductive health services, combat societal stigma, and support young mothers in Uganda.
This study aimed to investigate the complex interplay of gendered, generational, structural, and cultural forces that shape the experiences of young motherhood in rural and urban Uganda.
The study was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, under Grant number 890-2020-0017, and the research project was implemented between April 2021 and November 2024.
