There is an upsurge in teenage pregnancy and sexual abuse among the South Sudanese refugee youth population, especially in Rhino camp settlement in the West Nile region of Uganda, a refugee protection official said.
John Aworuku, child protection and emergency specialist working with World Vision in Uganda’s West Nile region said one out of three girls have experienced sexual abuse in the area
“The current situation report from UNHCR indicates that one out of every three girls has been sexually abused at least in one or more ways,” Aworuku said. “And at least one out of six boys has experienced some form of sexual abuse which is really very alarming and this worries UNHCR and the partners.”
Jenifer Meling, a 20year old refugee, attributed the disturbing trend to lack of parental guidance. She also said that some girls lack basic needs, face challenges, and that this leads to early marriages.
“Lack of parental guidance for girls and also seen lack of basic needs and during the Covid-19 lockdown, these boys were running after us,” Meling intimated. “When I was at school, I was very comfortable.”
Mary kaku, another resident of Rhino camp, said sometimes girls are raped and infected by HIV/AIDS.
“You find that the girls are sometimes raped and they contract HIV/AIDS which is a dangerous disease,” Kaku said. “When this happens, the girls face a lot of challenges.”
For his part, Nicholas Tayebwa, the assistant settlement commandant of Rhino camp refugee settlement said they are trying to engage the children, especially the girls, by teaching them to protect themselves.
“Partners are at work, we shall try to engage the children, more especially the girls, in teaching them how to protect themselves,” Tayebwa said. “We will them how to help their parents and be active when they are at home, engage them in some of the activities that can keep them at home so that they do not go out.”