It is time for a multisectoral approach by government, communities and educational institutions to curb the complex problem of teenage pregnancies.
Plans alone will achieve nothing. This problem warrants urgent action.
During 2023, 4 444 teenage pregnancies were reported at public healthcare facilities in the Tshwane Metro alone.
It is nearly 40% of Gauteng’s total number of teenage pregnancies coming to 11 653 during the past financial year for girls between fifteen and nineteen years old.
The national figure for 2022/23 stands at 88 122.
In 2024, the FF Plus will cooperate with the Tshwane Metro’s Department of Health, civil society and non-governmental organisations to raise more awareness of teenage health and the dangers associated with teenage pregnancies.
In addition to teenage girls possibly contracting sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/Aids, there are often also complications with such pregnancies and deliveries.
Teenage pregnancies also result in a greater drop-out rate among young girls, which perpetuates the cycle of limited education and economic opportunities.
The FF Plus believes that collective accountability is needed to prevent teenage pregnancies, and that boys and men should be included in programmes focusing on teenage pregnancies so that they can be part of the solution.
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