The high rate of child and teenage pregnancies in South Africa, with over 105 000 girls giving birth between April 2022 and March 2023, has prompted Amnesty International South Africa to launch a campaign focused on prevention and policy reform.
The campaign aims to address the systemic issues contributing to the crisis and improve access to critical resources and education for young people.
Director Shenilla Mohamed said the number of child and teenage pregnancies in the country was a crisis which could not be ignored.
Affecting families and communities
“These numbers are shocking, but we need to stop seeing them as just numbers and realize these are real people,” Mohamed said.
“Child and teenage pregnancy have a ripple effect on young girls, as well as their futures within society. Some of these girls are forced to drop out of school, which in turn increases the cycle of poverty as well as the stigmatism that comes with it.”
According to research, between April 2017 and September 2021, the number of births to child and adolescent girls between 10 and 14 years of age increased by 48.7%.
Shaheda Omar, clinical director at Teddy Bear Foundation, said the impact of early pregnancy on young girls was far-reaching.
“We are talking about a child birthing a child; they are robbed of their childhood, deprived of the joys and experiences of being a child. These girls are forced into motherhood at a time when they still need care and nurturing themselves,” Omar said.
“The psychological, emotional, and physical toll is overwhelming, as they are unprepared to handle the responsibilities of parenting. This sudden shift can lead to long-term detrimental effects on their well-being and that of their newborns.”
Numbers increasing
In January, the health minister announced that at least 190 teenage girls had given birth on New Year’s Day, compared with over 145 recorded on Christmas Day in 2023.
The youngest mothers were 14-year-olds from KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
A Department of Social Development report a month earlier, had revealed that schoolgirls who delivered babies at public health facilities were recorded from KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Gauteng and the Free State.
The department said girls between the ages of 10 and 14 were not spared either, as they delivered 2 328 babies. Omar said South Africa needed to consider the reporting process, the actions being taken and if the relevant authorities were addressing the issues.
Dr Nirvana Pillay, a public health specialist, emphasized the importance of comprehensive sex education in schools to prevent teenage pregnancies.
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