The teenage pregnancy quagmire in Mukuru Slums (Preying on minors)
One in five girls aged between 15 and 19 in Kenya is either pregnant or has given birth already. The report lays bare the teenage pregnancy crisis, a prick in the conscience of a nation that prides itself as having made strides in education, child protection laws, economic growth and technological advances.
Old and young men alike continue to lure young girls to sex unabated despite efforts by the government; child rights activists and non-governmental organizations to arrest this shame that bodes badly for the health of the nation and the economy. Mukuru slum is certainly not left behind in enriching the national figure of teenage pregnancy. In a world where child protection laws and policies are in place, teenage pregnancies seem to be getting deeply rooted.
A few days ago, a 13-year-old girl Neema (not her real name) delivered at the Ruben Health Centre and she is just one among 186 teenagers aged between 12– 19 years who have delivered at the facility’s maternity since its inception in May 2018 out of the 1811 women who have delivered at the unit. This is a typical 10% of recorded teenage pregnancies in Mukuru. Neema is “married” to a 27-year-old man who took her in after she ran away from poverty, sexual harassment, physical abuse while living with her single mother who is also a compulsive alcoholic.
According to Neema she got married at the age of 12 years and a year later the couple decided to be parents oblivious of the fact that Neema is a minor. As if to add salt to injury, Neema’s lover is HIV positive but adhering to treatment and so miraculously she is not infected with HIV and neither is the baby. Neema’s mother is in approval of the marriage since she is a beneficiary of Neema’s husband who supports her with basic needs, as a good son in law would do.
This brings up the question of whether the Mukuru community understands any person under the age of 18 years is considered a minor and cannot consent to any sexual acts. A 13 year old is supposed to be in school pursuing her dream and become a good citizen of this country and contributing to the economic growth of the country but to the contrary, she is contributing to the welfare of her husband who has no idea that he is on the wrong side of the law. The alleged husband was arrested after intervention from the Wangu Kanja Foundation but Neema’s mum encouraged the girl to lie about her age to save the husband from a probable 20-year imprisonment for child sexual abuse.
Even before Neema’s case settles, here comes ‘Sarah’; a sixteen-year-old girl attending antenatal clinic and she is required to go for an ultra sound to establish the condition of the baby who is slowly not having normal fetal movement. There could be a problem with the pregnancy. She has no money to cater for the ultra sound and therefore she would have to seek for help from the social department at Ruben Centre. Sarah is soon going to be a mother of two at her tender age. She has a ‘ghost’ husband who lives kilometers away from her while she lives with her mother. The man is a casual worker and does not support her although he is always available for his conjugal rights and baby-making affair from the abiding wife. The husband is in his late twenties seems to be playing games with this young girl as he probably knows she is a minor and not supposed to be a wife.
186 girls that we know and have gone through our care at our maternity, what about those we do not know? What of those who are secretly lured to abortion with the help of their guardians in a bid to cover up for the “shame” of a daughter who engaged in sexual activities at a young age. What about those who have delivered at other health facilities in Mukuru slums? Doesn’t it scare you? Clearly, the teenage girls growing up in the slums are at risk and it is a shame that old and young men alike continue to lure young girls to sex unabated despite efforts by the government; child rights activists and non-governmental organizations to arrest this shame that bodes badly for the health of the nation and the economy.
End of March 2020, we had a child protection case of a 13-year-old girl from a nearby school who was impregnated by her own father and it was her teacher who got to discover this heinous act. The mother to the girl had tried to conspire for the girl to secretly abort the pregnancy. The father was arrested and the girl taken to a rescue home with the help of the school child protection department.
These are just but a few cases of young girls who have been deprived of their innocence at an early age and forced into motherhood owing to the fact that they come from very poor families. What is even scarier is that the trend is changing from just being teenage pregnancies but also early marriages. Girls in Mukuru are getting married at an early age perhaps to run away from hardships at home. Others do it due to lack of mentorship and empowerment from the parents and guardians, teachers and the community at large.
Now here is the big question, what should be done to save the young girls in Mukuru slums? This is a wake up call to all stakeholders in Mukuru Slums and beyond to wake up and salvage the future of our young girls in before its is too late. If the girls are getting pregnant at such a young age, it simply means they are exposed to other risks like STDs such as HIV & AIDS among others. Serious campaigns and awareness ought to start at all levels since even parents and guardians are caught up in this whole issue.