The recently elected women representatives from different parts of the country have been urged to put more effort in tackling teenage pregnancy as one of the pressing issues hindering the country. The call was made during the induction training of the newly elected representatives from the National Women Council and women representatives from the District Council, on Wednesday, December 29. A total of 284 women have been elected to be part of the women council at the sector, district and national level. Addressing the newly elected women leaders, Bellancille Nyiramajyambere, President of the National Women Council said that they expect the women to solve the several issues in the Rwandan families, one of them being teenage pregnancy. “It is true that the issue of teenage pregnancy is recurring and has been a huge burden to the country but what we have tasked ourselves to do is to conduct campaigns at the community level,” “And what we expect from the newly elected council of women is to go right in their communities and hold these discussions at family level, talk to the young girls and involve everyone in the family, involve more parents so they can understand that this issue concerns them too” she said. According to statistics from the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROFE), a total of 19,701 girls from all over the country gave birth between January and December 2020. Jeannette Uwingabire, woman representative from Nyarugenge District, as we have trusted and elected, it will be our duty to fulfil the obligations entrusted to us starting with issues like teenage pregnancies. By working together and effectively implementing programs like the family’s evening forum known as ‘Umugoroba w’Imiryango’, where we discuss these critical issues and involve more people from the family,” “We will also work with different partners, where we plan to go closer to the families in their communities and sensitize them about the issue, this will also pave the way to tackling the issue of defilement while bringing to justice the perpetrators” she added. Among other tasks that need serious attention by these elected leaders are issues of malnutrition, gender-based violence, the rise of divorces and gender inequality. Anne Marie Musabyeyesu, a woman representative from Kicukiro District, vowed to address gender inequality in her district. “There is still a big issue in terms of gender equality, where most women and men do not understand how they can work together to break the stereotypes of gender and find common ground to do so, she said.
