Caritas Rwanda Partners with Government to Support GBV Victims

At the clinic organized in collaboration with the country’s Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), the young mothers were also sensitized on the importance of good education and, the rights of the child and were encouraged to resume their studies.

 “There were also sessions to encourage child mothers to return to school, which is beneficial for teen mothers and their parents,” Caritas officials said in their report following the clinic that ended Friday, December 8.

Young mothers at the clinic also raised concerns about unregistered births.

According to the officials of the development and humanitarian arm of the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda (CEPR), some of the mothers had not been registered themselves while others had been compelled to register their children under false names and there were also cases where children had not been completely registered.

Caritas Rwanda says that the officials from the civil status services who were in attendance promised to address the issue of registration among other problems quickly.

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According to the statistics that MIGEPROF provided on the East African country’s demographic and health survey between 2019 and 2020, teenage pregnancy stands at 5.1 percent among women aged 15-19 countrywide.

The report that was released in March last year also indicates that the percentage of teenage pregnancies in the country’s western province which is made up of Rubavu, Karongi, Rutsiro, and Nyamasheke districts stands at 4.1 percent.

“These alarming figures show how many of these children face various problems including dropping out of school, harassment from their family members, and struggling to provide for their children due to poverty, and family conflicts, among many others,” Caritas Rwanda officials say in the December 11 report.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.