Adolescent pregnancy is a crosscutting issue which needs to be addressed by a multi-sector approach.
National health minister Michael Milly Hussein said in most cases girls were forced to early marriage and sometimes poverty pushes them out of their parents’ home, Bakhita Radio reported.
United Nations Population Fund or UNFPA Representative Barnabas Tisa said to break the cycle of adolescent pregnancy the country and community must commit themselves to invest in teenage girls.
He called on the government to enact and enforce national laws that raise the age of marriage to 18 years.
Gender Child and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Priscilla Nyangnyang said on Wednesday the Justice ministry will release a gender policy document focusing on gender equality law.
She said the document will hold anybody accountable against any form of discrimination.
Deputy Minister of Education Rebecca Joshua said statistics show that 55.5 percent of children drop out from secondary schools but the number of adolescent pregnancy is unknown.