Launch of Protect the Girl, Save the Nation campaign

“It takes a village to raise a child” is a well-known proverb. 

But, why does it take a village to raise a child? It takes a village to raise a child because raising a child is a huge task and a big responsibility that requires a collaborative effort. 

Raising a child properly requires inculcating in that child the best values and moralities of the entire village. All the dignitaries of the village must be there to do their part to give their best to that child.

When a child is well-raised and educated, the village gains a good citizen and member of society. The village is blessed and praised. 

When a child is not raised well, the entire village is deemed to have failed. And the entire village suffers the consequences of its failure.

There is no failure, there is no shame bigger than when the entire village fails to protect a girl child from sexual abuse. There is no failure, there is no shame bigger than when the men of the village prey on their teenage girls and impregnate them.

One single case of teenage pregnancy is too much.

When thousands and thousands of teenage girls are impregnated, the village should declare an emergency and the leaders should shake up the society, arraign its conscious, and awaken its values of humanity, and fear of God.

Teenage pregnancy represents multiple crises.

It is assassination of childhood and innocence.

Imagine the mental suffering of a young girl seeing her belly growing by the day and her stigma and embarrassment growing even faster.

Imagine how many teenage girls have lost their lives due to induced abortions.

Imagine how many babies of teenage mothers may have been abandoned or even killed.

Imagine how many teenage mothers are reduced to prostitution to feed their babies.

Imagine how many of these babies don’t know their fathers and have no birth registration.

As I said, teenage pregnancy is not one crisis, it is multiple crisis.

We are here today to say enough teenage pregnancy, enough child defilement, enough child marriage.

We are here today to witness the three most senior women leaders of Uganda standing up against teenage pregnancy and rallying all of us to protect the girls to save the nation.

Protect the girl, save the nation.

You will hear more about the nation-wide campaign to protect the girl, save the nation from our three most senior women leaders—HE the First Lady, the Honorable Vice President, and the Rt. Honorable Prime Minister.

I am proud to announce UNICEF’s and UNFPA’s full support to the national campaign to combat sexual violence against girls.

Thank you.