A new comprehensive sexuality education toolkit launched on Friday, March 31, is expected to help reduce the number of teenage pregnancies in Rwanda. Since 2017, more than 100,000 teenage girls aged 15-19 have gotten pregnant. In 2021, the number was 23,000, up from more than 17,000 in 2017. ALSO READ: Debate on ‘right approach to teen pregnancy’ persists as cases rise The book was launched during the national dialogue on teenage pregnancy that kicked off as part of the national gender and family cluster, at the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF). The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry, Mireille Batamuliza, said the book will contribute to existing efforts to tackle the high number of teenage pregnancies. “Teaching people about the reproductive system is definitely one of the ways we can use to reduce the issue of teenage pregnancies,” Batamuliza said. “This book, which is meant for people out of school, will help educate young girls about making informed decisions that do not affect their lives negatively.” ALSO READ: Why rise in teenage pregnancies has persisted The book, “Amahitamo yanjye” or “My Choice,” is meant for adolescent and young people aged between 10 and 24, one of the toolkits that will contribute to sexual education, the official said. There are other toolkits meant for adult women and medical personnel. Teenage pregnancy has been on the rise for years, with 17,337 underage women conceiving in 2017, 19,832 in 2018, 23,544 in 2019, 19,701 in 2020 and 23,000 in 2021. Official figures indicate that the majority were aged 18 and 19. Batamuliza said that although the majority of the teens are above the age of consent, it is not safe to get pregnant because their bodies are not fully developed. “Young people need to know how they can prevent getting pregnant and that is one of the aims of this book,” said Eliphaz Karamage, an officer in charge of sexual reproductive health at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC). “They also need to know that apart from getting pregnant, uninformed decisions can lead to HIV/AIDS infection. The book, which is meant for both boys and girls, also teaches how they can prevent gender-based violence.”
