KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has called for action to reduce teenage pregnancies in the province, which saw more than 18 000 births by girls younger than 17 in one year.
“The pregnancy rate among girls in the pre-teenage stage is shocking – and most of the girls who fall pregnant drop out of school,” he said. “KZN experienced 18,550 births by girls aged 10-17 in one year, while girls and young women aged 15 to 24 are getting infected with HIV every week.”
His call for action to protect the rights of young girls and women against unintended pregnancies, driven by, among other factors, the phenomenon of “sugar daddies”, came during a dialogue in Durban on 24 June, reports the Sunday Tribune.
The Department Of Social Development, in partnership with the UN Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency (UNFPA) launched the State of World Population 2022 report, focusing on the crisis of unintended pregnancies.
This was a societal problem requiring targeted awareness and educational campaigns, the premier added.
“It requires every family, parent, teacher, traditional and democratically elected leaders to take an active interest in the life of their girl children and women in society.
“Young boys and men must be trained and educated to counter the negative impact of unintended pregnancies on the lives of adolescent girls and young women.”
The dialogue, titled, “Seeing the Unseen: The case for action in the neglected crisis of unintended pregnancy, the State of World Population 2022 report”, highlighted the fact that 121m unintended pregnancies were recorded every year.
Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu said nations needed to unite and play their part.
“Over the years, women and girls have persevered through several persistent inequalities, injustices and ill-treatment imposed upon their lives by primitive and rigid systems.”
She said the report revealed that unintended pregnancies continued to burden many countries in east and southern Africa, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last year, more than 18m unintended pregnancies were prevented due to the use of modern contraception. Each year, an additional 2.2% of unintended pregnancies are on average avoided due to modern contraception usage in our region,” she said.
Zulu said efforts by the UNFPA Supplies partnership programme should be applauded, and that it played a vital role in making available long-acting methods, like implants and intrauterine devices (IUDS).
“But we cannot ignore the fact that many teenage pregnancies relate to a lack of education on sexual and reproductive health because at home, children may receive little or no guidance on sexuality, or it may be based on stereotypical gender roles and social expectations.”
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