Nearly 4000 children aged 10-19 have delivered babies in the Western Cape within just five months of this year.
Last year alone, the figure was 10 686 births over 12 months, 11 157 in 2021, and 11 690 over the same period in 2020 for the same age group, according to the provincial department of Health. There were 3 997 for 2023 to date.
Outraged child rights activists have attributed some of the pregnancies to “forced sex”.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it received reports on the number of learners who became pregnant, a year in arrears, via the Annual School Survey (ASS) - for example, for the 2018 ASS, a school will report on pregnancies that happened during the 2017 academic year.
The last data it provided was for learners who fell pregnant in 2020, which stood at 1 828.
“Our provincial Learner Pregnancy Policy outlines the process that must be followed when a pregnancy is reported/ becomes evident. It lays out the roles and responsibilities such as the importance of treating the matter with great sensitivity and confidentiality. The learner will receive support from the specialised support teams available in each education district etc,” said Kerry
Mauchline, spokesperson for Education MEC David Maynier.
“Should the learner have become pregnant as a result of sexual assault, the principal must follow the procedures in the Abuse no More protocol document. The policy also clearly outlines the arrangements that will need to be made for the NSC exams in the case of a Grade 12 learner. Learner pregnancy prevention programmes are also rendered from the social work components.”
Child rights organisation Molo Songololo director, Patric Solomons, said most children did not negotiate sex, as it was forced on them.
“The pregnancies, culminating with the sexual offences would indicate the status of girls. A small amount (of pregnancies) occurs because of consensual sex either with peers or someone older.
“What we see with these very high numbers, is that girls and young women, don't really have agency.
“They don't really consent to become pregnant. Their pregnancies are not planned. What we also see is the number of men who impregnate children is actually quite high among single men, married men and men in relationships with other women.
“Then their male peers who also impregnate female peers, however, stats indicate, it is far less than older teenagers and older men who violate.”
He said a lack of reproductive service and lack of knowing and understanding reproductive rights was another contributing factor.
“Girls don’t know the options available to them. Due to the shame element, they only get help when they are already three/four months pregnant. Many girls also get thrown out of the house for bringing shame on their families.
“Many 16 and 17, 19 year-olds are also forced into marriage with the men who forced sex onto them and those marriages often never last.
“Girls are caught between a rock and hard place. While men are often not brought to book, where they are brought to book, it takes very long. We need to look at what enables them to get away with it?
“They continue year in year out to target one girl after another.
“Those are the kinds of things we need to look at. National social development is looking at a study around teenage pregnancy, hopefully we will begin to put a spotlight on the sex offender and look at ways to protect our girls.”
Ilitha Labantu, an organisation working with women and children affected by violence, expressed concern with the high rate of teenage pregnancy across the country.
The organisation’s spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said: “Contributing factors to this high rate vary and can be attributed to lack of information about sexual and reproductive health and rights, inadequate access to services tailored to young people, and one factor that we often overlook is the high rate of rape culture in our homes, communities and places of education.
“There is a concerted effort needed by all sectors to play their part in helping reduce the number of teenage pregnancies in South Africa and in the Western Cape. Failure of our society to rectify this issue will see a continuation of similar trends which will pose significant development challenges in the near future. In order for our society to thrive we need young people to have the proper developmental tools at their disposal.”
The Western Cape Department of Social Development said it partners with prevention and early intervention NPOs that have several prevention and awareness programmes to reduce instances of teenage pregnancy.
Interventions rendered by NGOs include the “Parent-Infant Intervention Home Visiting Programme” (First 1 000 days programme): This home visitation programme is provided to vulnerable pregnant and first-time mothers. While the “Parenting Worx Programme” provides young expectant mothers with positive, healthy and effective parenting and early childhood development skills through a comprehensive six-session parenting programme.
Cape Times