Continued Dev’t in oil and gas sector worries Girl Child Rights experts in Albertine region

SPECIAL REPORT: According to the results of the survey released on Thursday afternoon show that many girls and women leavings in Kikuube and Buliisa Districts aged between 10 and 24 years engage in casual sex by compared to the 32% of adult counterparts.

This survey was conducted by the Centre for Economic and Social Cultural Rights in Africa (CESCRA) also involved collecting views of parents and caretakers of children on social reproductive health.

Researchers found out 35% of the girls who not seeking any kind of help either from police, local leaders, or health facilities when they are sexually violated.

James Mwirima the CESCRA consultant on the study told the media that a few victims of non-consential sex who reported, 12% did not get any form of help where they ran to.
“A bigger of the victims reported to police, whereas others reported to their parents and some to their community leaders, unfortunately, 12%of the victims did not get help which yeo disappointing,” Mwirima says.

According to Mwirima in the whole of Bunyoro region, the contraceptive use is 46% whereby young women who need family planning services do not have access to the different modern methods.

Agnes Kabajuni the CESCRA director, in her response to the findings, said that with continued infiltration of the community by different ethnicities working in the oil and gas sector, the government needs to invest more in sexual education and behavioral change interventions.

“The Oil and Gas Development in the region may only worsen teenage pregnancies in the Albertine region as a result of continued infiltration of people working in the sector,” said Kabajuni.

However, Annet Kabahaguzi the Kikuube District Community development Officer says they have not heard any case involving an immigrant worker.
“From January to August, Kikuube District recorded over 1000 girls aged 18 to 25 years reporting to their first antenatal clinic”. Kabahaguzi said.