Teen moms, babies pay the price

EVERY year at Christmas and New Year’s Day, we celebrate the babies born on these special days, forgetting that many of these are born to girls who are still children themselves.

Late last year the Department of Social Development reported that more than 88 000 schoolgirls, aged 15 to 19, had given birth in hospitals in the 2022/23 financial year, including 25 239 in KwaZulu-Natal.

Additionally, the department said girls aged 10 to 14 had delivered 2 328 babies, including 544 in KZN.

Bearing in mind the age of consent is 16 years of age, this equates to 2 328 cases of rape, many of which, however, will never reach a court.

And it is this failure of consequences for the fathers which ensures that the sickening trend continues, year after year.

No teenager should give birth in a health facility without the police being called and the father being identified and arrested.

There are, of course, consequences, but these are faced by the young mothers and their families.

The girls’ schooling is disrupted and they must take on the enormous responsibility of motherhood when they are still too immature to be responsible for themselves.

There are also consequences for the innocent babies, born into homes that often cannot afford to feed, clothe, house and school the existing members, and many don’t have the father present in their lives.

And there are consequences for the country, that must now take on the responsibilities of feeding, clothing, housing and schooling the babies out of the welfare purse.

In 2022, statistics showed there were more than 22 million South Africans aged 0 to 19, comprising the largest segment of the population, at over a third, and the least economically active portion, largely relying on the state – the few taxpayers – for their needs.

This situation can only persist for so long before the state is bankrupted.

For the sake of the girls, the babies and the country, we need to urgently address the teen pregnancy pandemic.