​Last Saturday, the Gauteng Provincial Government held child protection round table discussion to address issues of teenage pregnancy in schools and to strengthen the existing child protection system. Hundreds of young boys and girls gathered at the Nokuthula Special School in Lyndhurst North of Johannesburg, to seek lasting solutions to teenage pregnancy.
During the discussions it was revealed that teenage pregnancy has an adverse effect not only on the young mothers, but also on a child. For instance, teenage mothers often drop out of school resulting in less formal education which leads to limited employment opportunities and often leads to poverty among others.

Addressing the children, Social Development MEC Morakane Mosupyoe said the level of unintended pregnancies among teenage girls remained a public health concern, however, programs and interventions such as this round table discussion, that are inclusive of teenagers, are crucial to help us get to the bottom of the crisis.

“Engagements of this nature are important because they will help us find solutions to the problems that you face every day and I am happy that you as young people seem to understand the challenges that you are facing and you are able to propose solutions that will assist you”, Mosupyoe added.

MEC sang praises for social workers for being in touch with the children and she agreed with the children that parents must start changing their attitude towards children when it comes to the issues of sex.

“What you have raised here today is true, as parents we must open up and have a proper conversation with you, teach you what is right so that you do not hear it outside or from your peers”, she said.

“The social ills that affect young people are intersectional. For example, while we fight for young people to attain skills and break the cycle of poverty, there are social ills like teenage pregnancies that perpetuate the crisis of poverty. A wide range of factors, including economic and social factors, have been associated with teenage pregnancy. However, the provision of necessary health services, preventing the risk of early marriage and ensuring that adolescents remain in school are some of the key elements of inhibiting unplanned adolescent pregnancies”, Mosupyoe added.