Authorities in Mayuge District have expressed grave concern over a disturbing trend of defilement cases after three underage pupils from the same family and school were discovered to be pregnant. The councilor representing youth at Bukatube sub-county council, Mr. Emmanuel Okori, made the shocking discovery during a routine monitoring exercise.
The three girls, aged 12, 14, and 16, were found at home with their mother in Wamondo village. According to Mr. Okori, the 16-year-old was impregnated by a married neighbor, while the 14-year-old was allegedly impregnated by a man in the village who refused to marry her. The identity of the person responsible for the 12-year-old’s pregnancy remains unknown.
Mr. Okori reported the matter to the police in Bukatube sub-county for investigation. He emphasized the urgent need for intervention by NGOs, government agencies, and child rights activists, as child abuse, especially defilement, is rampant in Mayuge District.
The Busoga East police spokesperson, Ms. Diana Nandaula, underscored the importance of reporting defilement cases to district police offices rather than village police posts, which may not handle such cases effectively. She acknowledged challenges in handling these cases, including parents’ reluctance to report and victims’ families accepting bribes from suspects.
Ms. Betty Angatai, executive director of Save the Young Mothers-Uganda, a Mayuge-based NGO, highlighted poverty and parental negligence as contributing factors to the high teenage pregnancy rate in the district, which stands at 27 percent in some areas.
