Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 490930,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/490930/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 54,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Elachi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13115,
        "legal_name": "Beatrice Elachi",
        "slug": "beatrice-elachi"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also rise to thank Sen. Ongoro and also support this Motion knowing very well that for some years now, we have had challenges in terms of dealing with teenage pregnancies. Today, I want to bring to this House the issue of Chepkurkur Primary School in Mt. Elgon where last year, we saw 18 young girls get pregnant. These young girls were between the ages of 13 and 11 years. When you look at the research that was done, it is so shocking that today, we have different conceptions on how young people look at sex. The young people, especially in the rural areas have no one to turn to in order to get that awareness and education on how to manage themselves. When you read a paper on a research that was done by the Centre of the Study of Adolescents, it is a study that concerns us, one as parents and even as leaders of this country. We still have a misconception that today when you mix Coca Cola with some other concoctions and drink it, you cannot get pregnant. This is besides so many other conceptions. It is very sad when you listen to them. Some of those young girls had not received their first menstrual period and therefore they do not understand what pregnancy is. So, this Motion is seeking to find a way forward and bring in mechanisms to deal with culture. I know that within our cultures, there is also fear that when you are raped and you become pregnant, you are not supposed to humiliate your family by taking the case to court for a man who has refused to take responsibility. Parents also choose to keep quite. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, today, many parents fear to engage with their young ones in terms of giving them the knowledge on how a girl can manage herself during the rites of passage to another level. Most of the time, the young men are the ones who undergo rites of passage. After initiation, the young boys are told that they can now roam all over to prove that they are men. This is when they find themselves in all this mess. Nobody trains them to know that they can make young women pregnant and, therefore, leading to two babies having a baby. Today, in our country, we have 15 year old girls who are pregnant. We also have 25 to 29 year old mothers who are pregnant and 30 to 40 years old grandmothers who are also pregnant. This is an issue that must worry us. It is very unfortunate that most families which go through that life are always poor. At the moment, the Government is making interventions with regard to reproductive health and other health issues. Parliament is also playing its part and there are a lot of funds circulating. We now need to manage those funds properly. When we talk about youth and women funds, we should consider priority areas. This is money not The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}