By Amoto Ndiewo
Coming from an era where sex before marriage was unknown in the remote area, leaders in North Eastern are now calling on education stakeholders to unite and spearhead campaigns against the rising cases of teenage pregnancies.
Speaking during a recent workshop on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at NEP Girls National High School, human rights activist Maka Kassim noted that teenage pregnancies have added to the region’s historical challenges against the Muslim girl child – FGM and poverty.
Maka urged stakeholders and well-wishers to brainstorm and reach out to the vulnerable girl child to teach them how to cope with the historical and modern challenges they were sandwiched in between.
“In the past, FGM and early marriages were the norm but in this digital age, early pregnancy has also emerged,” she noted.
She termed these challenges as a ‘rock and a hard place’ and called on the society to rise up and pull the region’s girls out of it.
In a previous report, the region was noted to be one of the regions with the highest teenage pregnancies in the country.
“Our society can’t just sit back and watch young girls get impregnated because the right course of action hasn’t been taken. We can’t allow their education and general life to be disrupted,” said another activist, Fatuma Bathi.
She urged the society to look after the girl child’s needs and challenges with braveness so they can fearlessly live up to their potential.
Fatuma further called for concerted efforts in fighting FGM, drug abuse and terrorism among the youth.
Garissa county Chief officer for Gender & Social Services Ahmed Abdi said that neither the Holy Bible nor the Holy Quran embraced FGM or any form of violence against any gender.
While calling on the political and economic class to fight for the girl child’s rights and advocate for equality, Abdi urged the girls to report all cases of sexual harassment, violence and discrimination to relevant authorities.
On her part, Aisha Omar, a student at the school called on the society to grant the girl child her rights and quit sexually preying on them.
“These sexual advances may seem mild but often times they lead to early pregnancies and other immoralities,” she said.
Speaking on the same, another student, Saadia Ali called on guardians and teachers to remain committed and actively involved in their children’s day to day lives so as to mentor and guide them.
“Mentorship works when you have parents or guardians and teachers who are committed to ensure that you succeed. In that absence, we are done and doomed,” she pointed out.
She added that public figures and role models from the region should also play their part in order to motivate young girls to better their lives and that of their families.
Saadia encouraged her colleagues to practice self discipline, focus, and work hard.
She said: “This is the way to go, pushing yourself to the limit and ultimately it will pay off beautifully.”
