Despite the various government measures that have been set up to curb teenage pregnancy, cases remain high, forcing many to wonder whether the country is losing the battle.

For instance, the number of teenage pregnancies increased by 23 per cent from 19,701 in 2020 to 23,000 in 2021.

Experts have weighed on how the country can effectively tackle the issue, which continues to force many children out of school, exerts enormous economic pressure on the young parents in addition to a host of health risks.

Here are five things that can be done to help reduce unwanted pregnancy.

1. Parents adolescent communication

The participation of parents or guardians is highly needed to teach their children about sexual reproduction health (SRH). Parents spend a lot of time with their children.

According to Annet Mwizerwa, former Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) officer at Health Development Initiative, parents need to talk to their children from an early age.

"They need to start as early as possible to have a conversation with their children around this topic to help them to understand changes in their lives as they grow,” she said

Mwizerwa who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in gender and sex reproductive health at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), added that this would help bridge the information gap among teenagers.

2. Increasing access to contraceptives

There are various pregnancy prevention methods such as implants and condoms among other contraceptives.

However, access to some of these contraceptives by teenagers is restricted by law, while others are expensive. This is a challenge for sexually active teenagers.

Mwizerwa says that there is a need to help even teenagers below 18 to access such services without their parental consent.

"Due to cultural norms it’s hard for them to be open and ask their parents for such services and thus choose to indulge in unprotected sex which leads to unwanted pregnancy among other risks,” she noted

She added that parents, policymakers and elders alike need to change their mindset towards this issue.

3. Raising awareness about defilement

Children are not able to provide consent for sex, hence even when it is not practically forced sex, it is child defilement, and regardless of the government measures, some people do still underestimate this issue.

"People need to be informed about the impact of defilement in society,” she explained. "As much as I highly commend this initiative (Isage one Stop Centre), for the sake of adolescents and young people, I do believe that the government should think about developing more youth-friendly pathways to report GBV,” she added.

4. Leveraging technology

Teenagers are exposed and active on social media, which remains their main source of information. They can thus leverage the social platforms at their disposal to access information related to SRH.

Mwizerwa says that media plays a big role in changing lives, thus recommending it for SRH.

She adds that teenagers are more open to the use of technology and it can be a better way to enlighten themselves.

5. Sex education

Ibrahim Nkurunziza, in Charge of wellness in Groupe Scolaire Nyarupfubire in Nyagatare district, said that one of the best ways to reduce unwanted pregnancies is to teach about it more in schools.

"Most teenagers are still in school and it is one of the places where people need to put more effort and educate them about SRH,” he said

He added that proper implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in schools is critical.

He shares the same view with Mwizerwa who said that although CSE was introduced in schools, it’s is still taboo to speak about sexual health in some schools due to the cultural norms.

This, he adds, leaves the children uninformed and makes them believe every information which might lead them to unwanted pregnancy.

Mwizera also recommends periodic national studies that particularly attend to this matter.

"Yes, we can continue to design different policies and solutions but if they are not or are partially evidence-based, contextualised, and adolescent-centred we may toil in vain,” she noted