The latest adolescent pregnancy data from Statistics South Africa shows that 90 037 girls aged 10 to 19 years gave birth from March 2021 to April 2022, across all provinces.
In the face of an alarming rate of pregnancy among girls and teenagers, non-profit foundation TEARS this week launched its Speak Up campaign which highlights that they have a basic human right to say “no” and speak up when they are being violated.
The latest adolescent pregnancy data from Statistics South Africa shows that 90 037 girls aged 10 to 19 years gave birth from March 2021 to April 2022, across all provinces.
Speak Up is a digitally driven, age-appropriate and free education platform which will be available 24/7 to educate teenagers and women aged 13 to 26 years, in all official languages, about topics such as the spread of HIV/Aids, teenage pregnancy and the occurrence of rape and sexual abuse.
Lieutenant Colonel James Chauke of the South African Police Service said police were overwhelmed, with cases of gender-based violence and femicide never seeming to abate.
“The scenes that I see on a daily basis say ‘not anytime soon’. It seems as if the more we arrest, the more we convict, the more brazen the criminals become. They are onto us and it is very sad,” Chauke said.
TEARS founder Mara Glennie said while some progress had been made, publicly available evidence showed that the government had not demonstrated high levels of commitment and accountability.
“While we are all aware of the well-documented barriers to implementation that exist because of our government’s failure to coordinate and lead the response to gender-based violence and femicide, both government and the private sector have a pivotal role to play,” she said.
The cost of chronic social problems and dysfunctional behaviour, such as gender-based violence and femicide, affects how businesses are run and, therefore, it is also the responsibility of the private sector to take up its role as a powerful partner to combat the scourge by advancing gender equality, Glennie said.
“If you are in the private sector, and somehow imagine that social issues do not have anything to do with your business, then you better think again.”
Chauke noted that early pregnancy and motherhood forced girls to drop out of school, trapping many in a cycle of poverty and being dependent on public assistance.
“It also leaves many stigmatised by society for being teenage mothers or forced into early marriage, to the point that many opt for dumping their babies,” he said.
“In this week alone, I have dealt with four child abandonment cases, in Alexandra alone.”
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