CAPE TOWN – Youth-focused wellness non-profit organisation, LoveLife, urges that South Africans ‘walk the talk’ regarding the new policies gazetted by the Department of Basic Education that mandates schools to report underage pregnancies to the South African Police Services.
The new policy, named ‘Policy on the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy in Schools’, aims to counter the scourge of underage pregnancies in the country. The policy compels schools to send police reports if the pregnant girl is under the age of 16 and the child’s father is older than 16.
LoveLife says it welcomes this policy, but is urging for the cooperation of everyday South Africans in making the policy effective.
“The new policy places a huge responsibility on schools as they will now have to be in communication with SAPS when a learner under the age of sixteen falls pregnant. That is statutory rape; it’s a serious crime that should be reported. There are fully grown men older than 16 impregnating younger girls. Civil and criminal charges must be instituted against these suspects,” said Dr Linda Ncube-Nkomo, chief executive officer of loveLife.
“The lack of outrage by the majority of adult South Africans when it comes to underage and teen pregnancies is outrageous, at the very least. More action-oriented solutions need to be employed by South Africans as they condemn older men who continue to thrive in the scourge of the sexual exploitation of children and teenagers,” they added.
The organisation further warns of the consequences of a lack of proper implementation of the policy and the lack of public cooperation.
The policy is to be implemented from January next year.
IOL