In Uganda, as in many developing countries across Africa, low utilisation of modern contraceptives among young people has been attributed to a variety of factors.
These include limited access to contraceptive services, negative perceptions, and concerns about side effects.
Such challenges often discourage young people from utilising SRHR services including contraception.
Despite these efforts, the uptake of modern contraception among young people remains low.
According to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) of 2022, only 29.9% of sexually active unmarried girls aged 15-19 use modern contraception.
Among them, 11.9% rely on male condoms as their primary method
This leaves seven out of ten girls with an unmet need for contraceptives.
The report also highlights that the percentage of teenage pregnancy at 24%. In a recent teenage pregnancy and surveillance meeting held on 11th September 2024, Ministry of Health revealed that teenage pregnancy accounts 22.3% of school dropouts among girls 14 -18 years.
This indicates that many young girls are trapped in a cycle of teenage pregnancy, leading to school dropout and eventual poverty. Their children, in turn, face limited educational opportunities, perpetuating the cycle of early pregnancy and poverty for future generations.
Teenage pregnancy has also significantly contributed to physiological stress from the pregnancy itself and fear of reactions and abandonment from the partner, parents, peers, school, health workers and the community besides, many young girls are so desperate to end the pregnancy that they resort to dangerous and crude unsafe methods of abortion.
The Ugandan government has made progress in creating an enabling policy environment through establishment of Policies, strategies and making global commitment aimed at enhancing access to family planning.
The FP 2030 commitments and the sustainable development goals, Uganda not only commits to invest in ensuring that family planning commodities are procured and available to women and girls but also commits to reduce the unmet need for family planning.
At the national level, the passing and adoption of the Family planning Costed Implementation plan II, the Reproductive Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Sharpened Plan II, the National Health Policy and the National Self-Care Guideline for Health and wellbeing, the Family Planning Total Market Strategy 2020-2025 demonstrate governments commitments to avail choice options for women and girls and ensuring that all pregnancies are by choice and not by chance.
Every year, the world unites to commemorate World Contraception Day (WCD), an occasion dedicated to raising awareness about contraception and promoting better reproductive health for all, particularly young people.
It is essential to recognise the power of providing young people with options.
Access to a variety of contraceptive methods not only helps young people avoid unintended pregnancies but also empowers them to pursue their education and build healthier futures.
To achieve this, Uganda must focus on:
Expanding youth-friendly health services and improving community-based outreach programs are crucial steps to bridging the gap in access.
Furthermore, efforts to combat stigma and raise awareness about the benefits of contraception must be intensified.
There is need to rejuvenate existing community resource centres, where available, to offer young people in underserved areas a hub for accessing contraceptive commodities and information.
Mobile clinics also present a key opportunity, as they can be designed to provide on-the-spot health services, including counselling and contraceptive administration, in hard-to-reach areas.
Traditional community events such as marriages, initiation ceremonies like imbalu, and cultural festivals like ekyooto, and empango present additional opportunities to reach youth with SRH services.
We can also leverage community games and sports for example the Buganda Kingdom annual inter-clan soccer competition which gathers thousands of young people.
By integrating SRH education and services into these culturally significant events, we can normalise conversations around use of contraception and ensure broader access to the young people.
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Reproductive justice for adolescents and young people in underserved areas means ensuring they have access to comprehensive, youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, accurate information, and the autonomy to make informed choices free from stigma, cultural barriers, or economic constraints.
It involves providing affordable and accessible contraception methods, while engaging families and communities to create supportive environments.
World Contraception Day 2024 reminds us that the journey toward full contraceptive access for young people is not yet complete.
As Uganda continues to make progress, all stakeholders government, healthcare providers, educators, and civil society must work together to ensure that every adolescent has the power to choose and access the contraceptive options that best meet their needs.
Edith Kemigisa; Program Associate for Adolescent Youth SRHR at Ipas Africa Alliance
