The number of young girls and teenagers having babies remains constant in South Africa, with more than 2 700 girls aged 10 to 14 giving birth at public healthcare facilities during the 2023/24 financial year – but an increase in those terminating their pregnancies.
News24 reports that KwaZulu-Natal had the most pregnancies in this age group with 610, followed by Gauteng 430, the Eastern Cape 395 and Limpopo 375. Mpumalanga had 293 births, the Western Cape 286, North West 151, Free State 106 and Northern Cape 70.
In the same period, almost 120 000 girls, aged between 15 and 19, gave birth in the same facilities, the National Department of Health said.
Once again, KwaZulu-Natal led other provinces with 30 478 pregnancies. This was followed by Gauteng with 19 406, Limpopo, with 16 262, the Eastern Cape with 15 827, Mpumalanga 11 534, Western Cape 9 622, North West with 7 525, Free State with 5 395 and Northern Cape at 3 538.
Department spokesperson Foster Mohale said 1 226 girls in the 10 to 14 age group and 19 246 in the 15 to 19 age group terminated their pregnancies at public healthcare facilities in 2023/24.
The Teddy Bear Foundation NGO, which advocates for professional services to prevent and minimise the devastating effects of child abuse in South Africa, said a collaborative effort was needed to prevent teenage pregnancies.
Clinical director Dr Shaheda Omar said many children were still battling to grasp the required knowledge on sex education.
“It is not a subject that is actually approached or addressed in many homes. The reality is that many parents are not equipped with how to approach the subject of sex and sexuality. It is considered a taboo subject.
“As a result, children are seeking information and knowledge outside their home environments.”
She said continual engagement with children within the school environment was critical.
“Other stakeholders like faith-based organisations, community-based centre and civil society organisations, also have a role to play,” she added.
Mohale said the Department had introduced various interventions, including more than 1 000 youth-friendly zones in primary health facilities or public clinics countrywide to create an enabling environment for young people to access sexual and reproductive health services without feeling judged.
“These zones are managed by young nurses and doctors to help youngsters feel open to discuss their needs.”
Asked for comment, Department of Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga sent News24 a document detailing the department’s policy on the prevention and management of pupil pregnancies in schools.
The policy seeks to ensure accessible provision of information on prevention, care, counselling and support, frameworks for impact mitigation, the choice of termination of pregnancy and guidelines for systemic management and implementation.
Omar urged practitioners at healthcare facilities to be friendly to teenage girls.
“Children are faced with [the] constraint of approaching a healthcare facility because they are afraid of how they will be treated.
“Name-shame, blame and accusations have actually deterred them from accessing that kind of support they need, to make informed decisions.”
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