The Territorial Police in Nansana, has in custody a 15-year-old, teen mother, identified as Nalumansi Shanita, of Nansana East A 1 zone, Nansana Municipality, for the alleged murder of her 6 weeks old son, Bogere Ezra on the 11.11.2022.
The facts gathered indicate that the victim turned suspect, dropped out in P.7 after she was defiled and impregnated. After giving birth, her son Bogere Ezra, was rejected by the alleged father, who claimed he wanted DNA proof. The teen mother who was practicing hairdressing from a local salon, faked the disappearance of her son claiming she had left her on the veranda at around 1.30pm.
The local members of the community conducted a search in vain and reported the matter to police. It was at around 7:30pm that a group of concerned residents, reported seeing the victim’s clothes in a latrine. The scene was secured and the body of the victim retrieved on the 12.11.2022. Upon further interrogation, the teen mother admitted to have dumped her baby in the latrine, after he was rejected and she had failed to provide for him. It is a heart-breaking story of a poor child who was victimised by a poor biological teen mother.
We want to caution such teen mothers that child murder is a punishable offence. All teen mothers experiencing challenges are advised to seek help from a number of shelter and babies’ homes. The teen suspect will be tried under the Juvenile Criminal System.
We are also tracing for the alleged defiler and father to the Child victim. A separate casefile of Aggravated Defilement, has been opened.
Therefore, understanding some of the factors involved in the occurrence of teenage pregnancy and what supports are needed to help a teenage parent, continue her education helps parents, guardians and teachers as they work with teenagers.
Many factors, social cultural, economics and family faces, play a part in high rates of teenage pregnancy. For instance, the deep need for nurturance and protection, missing from a young girl’s life, is one basis for sexual abuse and pregnancy.
We therefore, call upon society and most importantly parents, to be aware of the factors that increase the likelihood of teen pregnancies.
These include;
1. Family factors like single parent households, single mother’s dating behaviour, lack of positive family interaction, lack of parental supervision, lack of positive parent -child communication, and mother was a teen parent herself.
2. Peer factors of sexual pressure from peers, belief that most peers are sexually active, having friends who are sexually active, dating begins at an early age, dating some one who is 3-5 years older.
3. Community/culture factors like lack of accurate sexual and reproductive health information high rates of divorce, violent crime, teen suicide, and high school drop outs, low community income, lack of community coordinated programme for youth, policies that deal with school failure, dropout rates, job opportunities, social support and positive educational and recreational activities.
4. Individual factors like early onset of puberty, siblings who are sexually active, lack of spiritual life, alcohol as drug use, low self-esteem, limited education, lack of future oriented goals.
By being aware of the factors that can influence teen pregnancies, parents’ teens and communities work together to prevent and reduce teen pregnancies. It is only through these combined efforts that we can continue to make progress in providing teens with the necessary tools to make good choices and reduce unplanned teen pregnancies.
SCP Enanga Fred
Police Spokesperson
15th Novem
