The teenage pregnancy toll before the COVID pandemic has been at 16% but has continued to increase as a result of the pandemic. In an effort to prevent this common pattern of pregnancies, a new policy has been gazetted.
Teenage pregnancies are in a state of crises
In statistics in recent years, most teenage pregnancies were seen to be among those aged between 10 – 14 years. At this time, teenage pregnancy is said to be in a state of crisis.
As a result of this, measures need to be taken in order to lessen the prevalence of underage pregnancies in South Africa. One of such measures is to report to the police when a girl younger than the age of 16 is with child.
In this case, the situation would be viewed as a case of rape considering that the father is older than 16. When this has been confirmed the necessary steps will then be taken.
Considering the fact that the age for giving consent is at the age of 16, both parties would then need to be made of their responsibilities as future parents.
In light of the crisis at hand, it has been made clear that these pregnancies, or rather, most of these pregnancies are a result of the violence against women. There are, however, other factors such as health department deficiencies that cannot assist young people with the necessary safety precautions.
At this time, schools are compelled to tell SAPS about any incidents of young girls being with child so that appropriate steps can be taken.
