A recent study by Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) found that 51% of children as young as 12 have had sex, with some even younger.
This was discussed on Monday, February 17, 2025, during a meeting where members of parliament reviewed a new bill about health services for minors. If approved, the bill would allow minors aged 15 and older to access family planning services.
The new law would lower the age for accessing medical services from 18 to 15. This means young people could get contraception and other related services.
Health Minister Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana explained that one of the reasons for teenage pregnancies is that many young people do not have access to family planning services. He said the goal is not to reduce the age of adulthood but to allow those aged 15 and above to get these services to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
“We are not trying to lower adulthood from 18 to 15. We just want to make family planning services available to 15-year-olds,” he said.
Dr. Nsanzimana also pointed out that many health services, like HIV prevention, are already provided to minors, but reproductive health services were the main area causing confusion. The aim is to align reproductive health services with others already available.
Dr. Aline Uwimana, from RBC, added that the lack of family planning options for minors contributes to the increase in teenage pregnancies. A 2023 study showed that 51% of children aged 12 and under have had sex, leading to issues like sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies. She mentioned that while parents can get contraception, 70% of people aged 15-19 don’t have access to it.
The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) reported that 22,454 minors became pregnant in 2024. In 2023, the number was 22,055, and it had been rising each year since 2020.
MIGEPROF Minister Uwimana Consolée said the rising numbers are concerning, but the increase is partly due to greater awareness. In the past, cases of child sexual abuse were kept secret, but now there are better ways to report them.
A report by the National Human Rights Commission found that 57.1% of girls under the legal age who became pregnant were victims of abuse by their partners, while 7% were impregnated by neighbors, and 2% by family members. In a study of 10 districts in February 2024, 68% of girls under 18 who got pregnant were victims of child sexual abuse, while others were raped.
The commission also pointed out that many young mothers do not have access to legal services to protect them from gender-based violence and child abuse. Of those who became pregnant, 55% of the fathers denied paternity in court.
