When Ayikoru Edith, not her real name, was growing up, she expected the adults around her to prepare her for the challenges of becoming a young woman. But the 16-year-old says that guidance never came.
In 2023, while preparing to sit her Primary Leaving Examinations, Ayikoru became pregnant. She was living with her aunt, who she says rarely had conversations with her about growing up, relationships, or sexual and reproductive health. Instead, she depended on lessons at school, which she says were offered only occasionally, and information from friends.
After completing her PLE, Ayikoru dropped out of school, saying the absence of parental guidance had left her ill-prepared to make decisions that would later affect her life.
Ayikoru’s experience is shared by several other child mothers in Arua City, who say many parents are failing to create enough time to talk to their children about Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
They say the silence at home is leaving children to depend on friends, school programmes and social media for information about their bodies, relationships and reproductive health. The child mothers shared their experiences during a three-day community dialogue convened by SIHA Network in Pajulu, Dadamu and Mvara in Arua City.
For one of the participants, the lack of communication at home had particularly devastating consequences. She says she was raped by a group of youths suspected to be under the influence of drugs while she was on her way to buy paraffin after being sent by her mother.
Fear prevented her from telling her parents about the attack. When her pregnancy was eventually discovered, she says her mother became hostile towards her, leaving her feeling unwelcome at home.
“I was sent by my parent to buy kerosene in the evening and met with boys suspected to be under the influence of drugs. They attacked and raped me. I didn’t tell my parents due to fear, until it was discovered and I ran away. I later struggled, but my uncle helped to talk to my mother,” she said.
The experiences have prompted calls for parents to become more involved in the lives of their children, particularly as adolescents navigate relationships and reproductive health issues. Under the Safe Choices!! Strong Voices!! project, SIHA Network is working with child mothers and pregnant teenage girls in Arua City and Yumbe District to equip them with knowledge about SRHR and strengthen their ability to make informed decisions.
SIHA Network Program Associate Kevin Lekuru says empowering girls to speak up is central to the initiative. “As community leaders, community members, parents and guardians, we must advance the rights of these girls in sexual and reproductive health. You must tell them where to report cases, how to follow up on the cases, and also how to get access to SRHR,” she said.
The project also seeks to extend SRHR information and support into communities, where parents, guardians and other adults play a critical role in protecting children. Religious and cultural leaders in Arua City acknowledge that the absence of open conversations between parents and children is contributing to the problem.Rev. Candia Jimmy, the Dean of Emmanuel Cathedral under the Diocese of Madi-West Nile, says the Church continues to use sermons and other engagements to address teenage pregnancy, child motherhood and gender-based violence.
Deputy Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development in Lugbara Kari, Tabu Rebecca, also urged parents to make time for their children and provide them with guidance.
Stakeholders say that when children cannot find someone at home to talk to, they often turn to friends or online platforms for answers about sexual and reproductive health. But the information they receive may not always be accurate, leaving them vulnerable to misinformation and decisions that can have lasting consequences.
For child mothers like Ayikoru, the call for parents to talk to their children comes from personal experience—a belief that the guidance she needed while growing up might have helped her avoid some of the challenges she now faces-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
