14-Year old married off by family after pregnancy

Soroti, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A Soroti family has married off their 14-year-old daughter, a primary four pupil at Awoja Bridge Primary School, after discovering that she is pregnant.

The situation came to light when her parents confronted her about her pregnancy, and she revealed that the father was her boyfriend, Leonard Opolot, whom she had been dating since 2022. According to reports, the primary four pupil was taken to her boyfriend’s home under the cover of night, presumably to catch him off guard.

During an interview with URN, the girl explained that her parents had a private meeting with her in-laws, where they discussed her pregnancy and ultimately agreed that she should remain with her husband. “I have hopes to go back to school with my husband if someone is willing to help me with my education,” she stated. “Both my parents and in-laws participated in the decision, leading to my current situation of living with my husband. ”

Patrick Opolot, the deputy head teacher at Awoja Bridge Primary School, expressed deep concern over the matter. He said that the school had made efforts to encourage the girl to return to school, but these attempts were unsuccessful. Letters were sent to the parents urging them to reconsider their decision, but neither attended the subsequent meeting.

“This has become a common issue in our community, driven by parents who seek to settle matters, often in exchange for something,” Opolot lamented.

He disclosed that two children from their school had been lost to child marriage this year alone—one in primary four and another in primary six.

Robert Etochu the LC1 Apuuton village chairperson, noted that he had advised the girl’s parents to report the case to the police, expressing surprise that they chose to resolve the matter privately.

It was revealed that the young man involved had dropped out of school and is currently 19 years old. Initially, there was an attempt to mediate the situation after he was chased away from the girl’s family home, but the parents eventually reached a conclusion without further intervention.

Despite follow-up visits from journalists, both sets of parents declined to comment, stating that they had resolved the issue and had no ongoing disagreements, as the girl was now living with her husband. This case highlights ongoing challenges related to child marriage and the pressures faced by families in certain communities.

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