Parents Failing to Report Teen Pregnancies to be Arrested.
Isiolo County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding announced that parents who fail to register their teenage daughters’ pregnancies would be arrested.
It is more difficult for authorities to apprehend and prosecute individuals who engage in sexual relations with little girls when the incidents are not reported.
According to him, some parents extorted money from culprits to shield them from arrest, denying the victims justice.
Approximately 1,458 teenage girls fell pregnant in Isiolo between January and November, a decrease from 2,256 in 2021.
Early pregnancies among schoolgirls are among the most significant obstacles to the government’s efforts to increase the region’s reading rate.
Mr. Omoding instructed the chiefs and their helpers to locate the girls and guarantee that they return to school, stating that the government desires that all students get the maximum degree of education.
“The era of looking the other way and letting perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence walk scot-free must end. Teenage pregnancies pose a serious threat to young girls and are unacceptable,” he said.
Most girls are enticed into having unprotected sex with young males in exchange for basic commodities such as sanitary towels, fall prey due to curiosity about sex and the desire to experiment, or are persuaded by their classmates.
Every year, around 21 million girls aged 15 to 19 in underdeveloped countries become pregnant, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Teenage moms are more susceptible to eclampsia — convulsions that occur during pregnancy or shortly after birth – and genital tract infections.
During yesterday’s ceremonies commemorating World AIDS Day at the Isiolo town police grounds, Mr. Omoding lamented the rise in adolescent and youth infections, stating that this constituted a significant danger to the drive to end HIV and AIDS by 2030.
HIV prevalence in Isiolo increased from 1.3% in 2021 to 1.8% this year, with mother-to-child transmissions at 22.1%, according to Diba Galda, HIV and AIDS coordinator for the county.
Since January, he added that approximately 20 new illnesses among adolescents and 33 among those aged 15-24 have been detected, bringing the total number of infected inhabitants to 3,347.
Due to the high infection prevalence among adolescents and young adults, Mr. Galma’s office is educating residents on the need to avoid unprotected sex, but he laments the lack of funds.
“We have established 22 comprehensive care centres across our health facilities to offer testing for expectant women so that we can prevent vertical transmission and also have point of care centres where they can pick up the drugs,” Mr. Galma said.
Only 1,882 people with the virus visit health facilities to obtain an antiretroviral medication, with some suspected of obtaining the medication from neighboring counties to avoid stigma.
Ahmed Sett, chairman of the Isiolo Interfaith Network, and Stephen Kalunyu, secretary of the network, advised citizens to be sympathetic and show them love to combat stigma and encourage persons with HIV to live with a positive outlook.
“They are our brothers and sisters and we should therefore treat them well and support them,” said Mr. Sett, who is also the treasurer of the National Council of Elders.
Mr. Kalunyu of the Nica church urged HIV patients to take their ARV medications regularly to strengthen their immunity. Additionally, he requested that the county government give them food.
This is not a sentence of death. “You can live for long if you consistently take the drugs as prescribed by the medics,” he said.
The clergy cautioned parents against employing their daughters as domestic assistants, stating that young men prey on them.
“Spend ample time with them to understand the challenges they go through and offer them moral guidance so that they do not become pregnant while in school,” he appealed.
Youth leader Osman Shariff Abukar argued that emphasizing high morals was a more effective strategy to prevent new HIV infections among young people than persuading them to use condoms.
“Condoms encourage infidelity because one believes they will not get infected even after sleeping with many women.”
Mr. Abukar stated that we should teach young people excellent morals and instill the culture of being faithful to their partners if they have any.
Mr. Omoding lamented that the majority of males did not get HIV testing and urged them to do so.
“Visit voluntary counseling and testing centres to know your status. A majority of us carry medicine (in our pockets) to treat various illnesses. HIV is no different,” he said at the celebrations that only a few men attended.
He advised parents against exposing daughters to female genital mutilation and urged them to monitor their children during the December holidays to prevent them from engaging in promiscuous behavior.
Parents Failing to Report Teen Pregnancies to be Arrested.
