By Kaya 959 Reporter
LoveLife has welcomed a new policy that will force schools to step up regarding teen pregnancies.
Schools will now have to report teen pregnancies to the police. This applies if the female learner is under the age of 16 and the baby’s father is older than 16.
Department of Education spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, says while the introduction of the policy is a bit late, the department has made a good decision.
The department will implement the policy in the new year.
LoveLife CEO, Dr Linda Ncube-Nkomo, says the policy is a step in the right direction. She says school governing bodies and management should see it as a “great window of opportunity”.
She says schools can now act against people who sexually exploit underage and young learners.
Ncube-Nkomo adds that the schools should be mindful of the consequences that come with lack of implementation and the continued protection of men, young and old, that see school-going young girls as their sex toys.
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Action-oriented solutions needed
She says the lack of outrage when it comes to underage and teen pregnancies is outrageous at the very least.
“More action-oriented solutions need to be employed by South Africans as they condemn older men who continue to thrive in scourge of the sexual exploitation of children and teenagers.
“Pupils go to school to learn – they equally expect guidance and protection from their teachers within the school precinct. Some reported incidents at our schools, in some cases implicating educators, leave a lot to be desired and we do hope this new policy will act as a deterrent to potential perpetrators,” she says.
Statistics released by the Department of Health showed that 14 176 girls, aged between 10 and 14, fell pregnant in the last four years.
“This is a staggering number of children having children that should enrage us. We need to see more action from the criminal justice system as there are criminals out there who should by now be wearing orange overalls,” Ncube-Nkomo says.
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