By Palesa Matlala
- Nearly 300 girls aged 10 to 14 gave birth in the Western Cape between April and December 2025, figures show.
- Action Society says every child pregnancy should trigger a criminal investigation, but no arrest or conviction numbers have been released.
Nearly 300 girls aged 10 to 14 gave birth in the Western Cape in just nine months, and nobody has said how many people have been arrested or convicted over it.
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness recorded 292 births to girls in this age group between April and December 2025.
Action Society national spokesperson Juanita du Preez said the numbers point to a failure to protect children, not a health issue.
“A child of 10 does not need better pregnancy services,” she said.
“She needed better protection long before she ever arrived at a maternity ward.”
Children under 16 cannot legally consent to sex in South Africa.
Du Preez said every pregnancy in a girl aged 10 to 14 should trigger a criminal investigation involving police, social workers and health authorities.
“Every child’s pregnancy is a protection failure,” she said.
“These are not ordinary teenage pregnancies. These are children giving birth.”
Du Preez said the Western Cape government now owes the public another number.
“How many perpetrators have been brought to justice?” she asked.
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness said it continues to prioritise adolescent health through youth friendly clinics, reproductive health services and community based prevention programmes.
It has not yet said how many of these pregnancies have led to arrests or convictions.
Anti gender based violence organisation Ilitha Labantu also raised concern over the figures.
Spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said the cases are often wrongly framed as teenage pregnancies.
“No child between the ages of 10 and 14 can consent to sex,” he said.
Du Preez said children need to feel safe enough to report abuse.
“They should recognise that what is happening to them is wrong,” she said.
Pictured above: Child rights activists say every pregnancy involving a girl aged 10 to 14 should trigger a criminal investigation.
Image source: File
