There are many instances where children under the age of 13 are falling pregnant. Children are not physically, emotionally and psychologically ready to have babies at that tender age.
Social consequences of teenage pregnancy are dropping out of school, vulnerability to or participation in criminal activity, abortion, being abandoned by their peers, child neglect, and lack of social security and poverty.
Research has shown that teen pregnancies and HIV prevalence among young people living in urban informal areas such as Alex township is double that of other teenagers living in other areas.
This also brings us to the scary fact that girls and boys are engaging in intercourse at such an early age. With this comes many sexually transmitted illnesses (STI’s), infertility at a later stage, cervical cancer and of course HIV. There has also been an alarming increase in the number of teenagers being infected with HIV.
Adolescents, like many other age groups in South Africa are greatly impacted by the HIV/Aids pandemic due to early sexual activities. It is therefore important that safe sexual behaviour is encouraged and practised.
Children are educated about HIV at schools, but it should be reinforced by parents and caregivers. The more knowledge our teenagers have, the better their chances of not falling pregnant and contacting STIs/HIV.
Although many interventions are taking place in schools by various organisations including the City of Joburg on teen pregnancy, statistics still indicate an increase in teen pregnancies in Alex.
Parents, start talking more often to you children about sexual behaviour, it is not only the responsibility of school’s to educate them.
What do you think needs to be done to lower teenage pregnancy in Alex?
Tell us by posting on our timeline, Alex News or tweet us @AlexNewsZA
Add Alex News on BBM for the latest hard hitting news in your community. PIN: 29CA3017
