Kamogelo Muvhenzhe
Children as young as ten years old are amongst the more than 20,000 teenagers who gave birth in Gauteng between April last year and March 2021.
The shocking revelations were made by Gauteng health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi in a written reply to questions tabled by the Democratic Alliance in the Gauteng legislature.
The report states that:
- 23,226 teenagers in Gauteng fell pregnant between April 2020 and March 2021
- 934 babies were born by mothers who are between the ages of 10 and 14
- 19,316 babies were delivered by girls between the ages of 15 and 19
- 2,976 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 years had terminated their pregnancies
DA spokesperson on social development, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, called on the provincial departments of social development, education and health to intensify their teenage pregnancy and sex education campaigns in schools.
“The numbers of reported teenage pregnancies were sad and incredibly troubling. It remains a serious social and health problem in South Africa. It poses a health risk to both mother and child, and it also has social consequences such as continuing the cycle of poverty and early school dropout,” she said in a statement.
She also urges parents and guardians, as well as different stakeholders to work with government departments to assist in curbing teenage pregnancy.
“Teenage girls should be taught about the consequences of teenage pregnancy and preventative measures to curb this. As for girls who are under the age of consent, they should also be taught their rights in this regard and to know, at no point, is anyone allowed to force themselves onto them,” she said.
Image source: @WorldVision
