Effective mechanisms needed to address ‘plague’
THE prevalence of teenage pregnancy remains a health concern in global communities and South Africa is no exception. Pregnancies not only have adverse health risks for adolescent mothers and their babies – these problems can persist into the next generation through dropping out of school, limiting future economic opportunities and perpetuating a cycle of poverty which makes them susceptible to gender-based violence at a young age.
Even though international statistics on teenage pregnancy are on the decline, those in developing countries are still on the rise. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, in South Africa, 16% of young women aged 15-19 had babies. The figure ranges between 11% in urban areas and 19% in rural areas.
South Africa recorded an increase in the rate of teenage pregnancies in some parts of the country between 2018 and 2019 and more recently during the pandemic. Children born to teen mothers in Gauteng were recorded at 60% since the genesis of Covid-19. Statistics from the Gauteng Department of Health show that more than 23000 girls under the age of 18 gave birth between April 2020 and March 2021 with an alarming figure of 934 under the age of 14 – compared to 14 577 girls aged 19 having babies in the same period a year earlier. Some scholars argue that these figures were precipitated partly due to the difficulty in accessing contraceptives, which was greater during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Despite the challenges with accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare services for this vulnerable age group the root cause of this problem is not being tackled and this is a cause for concern. Last year, the Department of Basic Education reported that 91000 teenagers were pregnant and these pregnancies occurred when children were supposedly under the supervision of their parents and guardians during the lockdown period.
No single mechanism is a onesize fits all measure in addressing the scourge. There is thus a compelling need for policies to integrate all stakeholders including teenagers (boys and girls) themselves. There needs to be an integration of forces from various departments such as the Department of Social Development, the Department of Health and law enforcement agencies. All community structures such as religious denominations, political structures, traditional structures, youth structures, affiliated associations such as the taxi industry and business leaders among others should be party to such dialogues to provide solutions.
Measures should address contextual factors affecting learners – from their family background to their personal encounters. It is unfortunate that the safety of the lives of girls is compromised by the very structures set up to assist them. There seems to be no safe space where teenage girls are guaranteed protection of their vulnerability. The media have been reporting cases of abuse of girls by their teachers, members of their families in their homes, priests and pastors, among others. The economic state of girls has further exacerbated the plague of sexual debut as they are lured to the so-called “soft life” by “sugar daddies”, (men old enough to be their fathers in exchange for sexual pleasure).
In January, Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga raised concern about the statistics of pregnancies of young girls between the ages of 10 and 19 in schools. She reported that the department had gazetted the policy for Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy in schools. Interventions such as the Let’s Talk allowed for the opening of safe spaces for intergenerational dialogue on how the department could best deal with teenage pregnancy as a collective. It is naive of the department to assume that teenage pregnancy can be resolved in such spaces alone. The concern is that the supposed parents/ teachers or guardians are implicated in most cases of teenage pregnancies thus making it more difficult to address the scourge. Some teenagers are unable to disclose who impregnated them, as they fear for their safety as well as that of their family members. We need more than dialogue. It is hoped that measures and policies such as those addressing contextual factors through the voices of the victims will have an impact on addressing teenage pregnancy. However, there seems to be no balance in inclusion with these policies or activities, which may be exacerbating the scourge. For example, the Let’s Talk policy /framework in the prevention of early and unintended Pregnancies Ministerial Dialogues does not cover the wide spectrum of the education sector, particularly those learners from poverty stricken rural settings. The neglect of some affected parts may exacerbate rather than curb the problem at hand.
Conditions are far more devastating to girls in rural environments where development and transformation are slow and where cultural practices are more prevalent in gender norms. Unfortunately, policies do not accommodate the diverse nature of the South African populace. Teenage pregnancy mostly affects the black population. Accepting the fact that the education system is based on an uneven footing should serve as a point of departure in an attempt to address the plight of teenage pregnancy.