By: JN Reporter
Teenage pregnancy continues to pose a significant threat to the future of young girls in the North West province, leading to a growing crisis, according to MEC for Social Development Basetsana Sussana Dantjie. With an increasing number of school-aged girls falling pregnant each year, Dantjie has encouraged all stakeholders to join hands in efforts to curb the new pandemic in the province. Dantjie’s plea follows the recent cases of alleged statutory rape involving three young girls in the Lekwa Teemane local municipality. It is alleged that the trio – aged between 14 and 15 – were confirmed pregnant by a medical practitioner last week after visiting the Lekwa Teemane service point without the supervision or accompaniment of parents. According to the MEC, it was further discovered during the preliminary investigation that two of the three girls were by underage boys, 17 and 18 years of age. Expressing her disappointment on the three statutory rape cases, Dantjie said the government has implemented measures to address teenage pregnancy in schools, such as the integrated school health programme which is led by the education, health, and social development departments. She said her department has also partnered with the Shout it Now organisation to educate young people about HIV, teenage pregnancy, and other social ills across the province. “We cannot be deterred by these incidents in our resolve to prevent teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence in our communities. Our social workers, including our social cluster departments and the civil society organisations are on the ground to break the barrier of ignorance among young girls by educating them about teenage pregnancy and other social pathologies that are tormenting our communities,” said Dantjie, adding that the issue of teenage pregnancy requires the collaborative efforts of key role players, which include parents, teachers, guardians, and the community at large. She further confirmed that the three cases were reported to the police for further investigations.
