Felicia Mashele
IN South Africa, teenage pregnancy is one issue that is quickly growing into a major concern, yet the “powers that be” seem to be looking the other way. The alarming statistics on adolescent pregnancies reflect, among other contributing factors, the secrecy around the sexual assault that young people are exposed to.
The government has implemented several strategies, such as making contraceptives available to girls as young as 12 years of age, but these are proving to be inadequate.
Experts suggested that such measures need to be supplemented by education - comprehensive sex education programmes in schools for both young boys and girls.
Siyanda Magayana, a senior officer at the Gender Equality and Anti-discrimination office at the University of Free State, said that gender inequality was a significant contributing factor to teenage pregnancy in South Africa and worldwide. She said in many societies there was still an evident imbalance of power that is gendered and could manifest in different ways in relationships.
“This gendered power imbalance is embedded in our societal institutions of socialisation, such as culture and traditions, for example, that teach young girls and women that to be culturally obedient, shy away from using modern contraceptives and effectively does not encourage exposure to sexual education and rights – while it teaches boys and men the opposite. This, at the end of the day, often leads to a power imbalance between the two genders – one that is empowered (male) and one that is not empowered and encouraged (female).
“It further leads to a situation where young girls are pressured and coerced into sexual activity or being unable to negotiate the terms of their sexual relationships as they are still encouraged and expected to be conservative in how they carry themselves, while young boys are taught to explore their sexuality at a very young age - they are not exploring alone.
“Gender inequality further perpetuates teenage pregnancy by limiting girls’ access to education and health care facilities, making them more vulnerable to early and unintended pregnancy. For example, provinces such as the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal still practice ukuthwala, and it is through this barbaric custom that young girls lose themselves to early marriage and pregnancy and end up leaving school. This is also evidence of how several communities in South Africa still value cultural or social norms that perpetuate gender inequality and contribute to teenage pregnancy”, she said.
The latest adolescent pregnancy data shows that in 2020, about 67 000 teenagers aged 15-19 years gave birth, which represents a decline from 70 000 births in 2019. However, the rate of teenage pregnancies is still high, with an estimated 62 births per 1 000 women aged 15-19 years.
Data has revealed that this rate is significantly higher than the global average of 44 births per 1 000 women in the same age group. Moreover, it also revealed that 90 037 girls between the ages of 10-19 years gave birth from March 2021 to April 2022, across all provinces.
The Stats SA analysis also revealed that 660 of the roughly 34 000 teenage pregnancies between 2020 and 2021 involved girl children under the age of 13.
According to Magayana, the status of teenage pregnancy in the country is due to several socio-economic issues such as poverty, lack of access to education and healthcare, inadequate sex education and gender equality. However, a large part of it is attributable to the widespread sexual violence in South African communities - these all need to be addressed at all levels and spheres of society.
“As a country, we cannot keep talking about this as if it were an adult pregnancy because many of them are minors. In addition to discussing and looking into these facts and their potential reasons, we should also look at the ages of the men who are getting these kids and teenagers pregnant.The relationship and circumstances that led to the pregnancies should be looked at as a nation; there, we will learn that it is not just peers their own age but also their uncles, fathers, grandfathers, teachers, neighbours, and more senior individuals,” Magayana said.
She said that there were several factors that contribute to teenage pregnancies in South Africa. “In as much as South Africa is a very democratic and modern society, institutions of socialisation are still predominantly conservative. The first reason for high levels of teenage pregnancy can be attributed to cultural and religious beliefs that maintain that early marriage and childbearing are considered acceptable in our society. This is followed by the belief that young girls are not to be taught about sexual rights and freedoms until they are married.
“Secondly, the second biggest attributing factor is the lack of access to appropriate sex education within the basic education system in our schools. Young girls and boys need to be taught sex education from a young age, especially if there is a law that allows for young girls as early as 12 to use contraceptives - it shows that we are aware that they are sexually active.
“Thirdly, the biggest contributor is sexual violence and trauma that is experienced by these young girls, leading to unplanned and unintended teenage pregnancy. Lastly, young girls and teenagers are exposed to several lifestyles in the media and therefore feel pressured socially to act on it. There is a growing culture in social settings where alcohol and drugs are involved, and this exposes both young girls and boys to be part of this lifestyle, and it also exposes them to predators.”
To alleviate teenage pregnancy in this country, Magayana said that an all-encompassing strategy is required in South Africa to address teen pregnancy.
“As families are everyone’s first socialisation experience, parents must be directly involved in efforts to reduce teenage pregnancy; they must understand that this is primarily a parental issue rather than a government issue, and they must work with the government and other institutions of socialisation to provide guidance, support, and education.
“Moreover, South Africa requires a change in approach that first addresses the underlying issues that contribute to teenage pregnancy, including addressing sexual violence in schools, poverty, lack of comprehensive sex education in schools, gender inequality and lack of access to education about sexual and reproductive health and rights’’.
Jason Behrens, a founding member of Jason Angels, said: “The issue of teenage pregnancy has reached levels of great concern. South Africa has one of the highest rates globally, with 1 in 4 girls under 20 years of age falling pregnant. The current stats released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) indicate that 90 037 girls between 10-19 years of age gave birth between March 2021 to April 2022 in all nine provinces. An alarming number of these young girls were under 12 years of age. This should not be allowed or happening for that matter.”
Behrens said that we need to adopt a multifaceted approach which addresses all the underlying issues mentioned above.
“We need to see the implementation of comprehensive sexual education at schools which will help reduce the teenage pregnancy rate. Teenagers need to be taught about abstinence and sexually transmitted diseases which are also very prevalent amongst teenagers, including HIV.
“By raising awareness and addressing these socio-economic concerns, teenagers are also more likely to use contraceptives. GBV, which plays a big role in teenage pregnancy, is still an issue not being addressed by the Government. Until this happens, we cannot expect the numbers to decline,” he said.
Behrens further indicated that teenage pregnancies are also a reason for a very high number of babies being abandoned in this country, among other contributory reasons. “Therefore, we need to acknowledge this and provide support structures for pregnant teenagers to avoid more babies being abandoned.”