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The Minister of Youth and Arts, Dr Abdallah Utumatwishima, weighed in on the conversation on whether young people should be allowed to access contraceptives from the age of 15, so as to minimize the challenge of teenage pregnancies.
Utumatwishima took to social media to build on a conversation started during the just concluded 19th National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano) by Professor Senait Fisseha, a globally-recognized leader in reproductive health and rights, on the challenge of teenage pregnancies the country is grappling with.
Civil society groups have been pushing for amendment of the 2016 law on human reproductive health, to give girls aged 15 and above the green light to access contraceptives.
The proposal remains a major talking point because of the growing problem of teenage pregnancies. But culture and moral enthusiasts as well as religious groups reject it, saying it would encourage young people to be sexually active rather than abstaining.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Utumatwishima asked young people, and the public in general, to share their views after meeting a group of youth from The Netherlands, who shared their experiences with him.
“Young people, on the issue of teenage pregnancies which Dr Senait raised during Umushyikirano, yesterday I met youth from Amsterdam. They told me they receive contraceptives … when they get to 15 years of age,” he noted.
“They use them and they look good. Let’s not pretend. Should we request that it starts here?” he posed, asking people to respectfully share their views which will be put into consideration.
Timely conversation
“I am happy that the youth are engaging in this conversation. Looking forward to what people have to say about this timely conversation,” the Minister added.
For Nathalie Munyampenda, the Chief Executive Officer of Kepler, a nonprofit higher education program that operates a university campus in Kigali, the idea would work well with comprehensive education so that young people are well informed to make the right decisions.
“I’m not sure contraception at 15 is the way to go minister unless it comes with comprehensive sex education including how to build healthy relationships (especially non-sexual relationships). Then they can make good choices,” Munyampenda responded.
Liliane Iradukunda, a Rwandan who lives in Canada, also supported the idea of comprehensive sex education. She said: “It would be great if sexual education is not perceived as a taboo. Children are given information right from childhood, starting from primary, so that there is no judging.”
Julius Mugabo, a health practitioner, also supported the idea but brought in the idea of parents escorting children, an argument that remains contentious.
Civil society groups argue that involving parents is counterproductive because young people do not want to involve their parents in their sexual lives.
According to the 2020 Rwanda Demographic Health Survey, the number of underage pregnancies rose from 17,337 in 2017 to 19,832. However, despite considerable progress in recent years, adolescent pregnancies remain a major concern in Rwanda. According to the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), between July and December 2022, approximately 13,000 girls under the age of 19 were impregnated in Rwanda.
The importance of Comprehensive Sexuality Education
Dr Aflodis Kagaba, the Executive Director of Health Development Initiative (HDI), an independent non-profit organization working to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare for Rwandans, said adolescents’ access to contraception would contribute to the decrease of the teen pregnancy rate in Rwanda.
Barriers to obtaining and using contraceptives prevent adolescents, and women, from avoiding unintended pregnancies, he warned.
“Some of the barriers about culture, religious beliefs and legal barriers – where, if someone is under 18, they’re required to be accompanied by a parent for consent. And, I think the conversation is around to ensure that we change that [mindset] but also that the services are available,” he said.
Kagaba stressed the importance of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in ensuring that young girls are aware and understand all information about their bodies, menstrual cycles, and have accurate information about reproductive health. Comprehensive sexuality education is a sex education instruction method based on a curriculum that aims to give students the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and values to make appropriate and healthy choices in their sexual lives.
Parents should create a conducive environment to address issues about sex and the human body with their children, Kagaba said.
“We need to teach young people to be able to make informed decisions because having enough information allows you to make the right decisions,” Kagaba said.
“If you are sexually active and have a boyfriend, or girlfriend, you have to take prevention measures to avoid getting pregnant, HIV/AIDS or any other sexually transmitted diseases. That’s why we have to do the interventions, at all levels, to avoid young people from consuming wrong information.”
Kagaba noted that the Ministry of Education should intervene by providing trainings and access to contraceptives so as to address adolescent pregnancy effectively.
