Unsafe sex among teenage girls between ten and 19 years continues unabated in the Free State, the Department of Health (DOH) has highlighted. This is marked by an increase in teenage pregnancies and pregnancy termination.
This trend continues amid risks such as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer.
Statistics released by the provincial department revealed that the number of pregnancy terminations in girls between ten and 19 years was 867 from April 2020 to March 2021, and 1 025 from April 2021 to March 2022. The Department of Social Development pointed out that last year, the province had 4 255 teenage mothers between ten and 18 years.
Mondli Mvambi, spokesperson for the DOH, said programmes were in place for the prevention of teenage pregnancy and raising general awareness of this societal concern.
The high rate of teenage pregnancy and termination can be traced back to numerous factors. These include the lack of information about sexual and reproductive health; inadequate access to services tailored to young people; social pressure from family, peers, and the larger community; as well as acts of sexual violence such as rape and gender-based violence.
