Serious Citizens: Teenage Pregnancy - Poll 1
In your community, what do you think is the main cause for girls
between 13 and 19 to get pregnant?
63% - Young people
practicing unsafe
sex and
accidentally getting
pregnant
14% - Forced sex
(rape, defilement,
incest)
13% - A boy and girl who
decide to have a baby
10% - Planned
pregnancy
through
child marriage
A large majority of 63% of respondents believe the main reason for teenage pregnancy is 'Young people practicing unsafe sex and accidentally getting pregnant'. 14% believed the main cause was 'Forced sex' and only 10% believed it was caused by 'Child marriage.'
During 2020 and 2021, 32,000 teenagers got pregnant every month in Uganda. This makes Uganda rank in the top 10 of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the world. There seems to be disagreement and a lack of data on the cause of teenage pregnancies. To address this gap, the first poll question TRAC FM announced on 9 partner stations was about the views of respondents on the main causes of teenage pregnancy.
Findings clash with the Ugandan gov's position in the Ugandan National Strategy to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy (2022). The strategy links pregnancy to child marriage, rape, and defilement, but largely overlooks risky sexual behavior. It overemphasizes child marriage, neglecting unsafe sex and contraceptives' role in curbing teen pregnancies.
