Early pregnancies a serious worry

THE numbers of early pregnancies being recorded are worrisome especially in light of the strides being made in improving access to education in a bid to turn the tide of rural poverty.
The news that close 2,000 school going teenagers in Eastern Province have been impregnated in the last 9 months, Provincial Education Officer Allan Lingambe has disclosed.
In a statement, Mr Lingambe said Eastern Province has recorded 1, 784 pregnancies among school girls from January to date with Petauke District topping the list with 391 cases, followed by Katete District recording 214.
He further said from 1, 784 cases, Chipata recorded 188, while Sinda and Lumezi had 171 and 131 cases respectively.
The Provincial education officer also said Chasefu recorded 103 cases while Kasenengwa had 92 with Lusangazi having 92.
Chipangali recorded 85 and Lundazi with 81, he said, while in Vubwi District there were 78 cases recorded, Chadiza 44 while Nyimba and Mambwe had 78 and 71 respectively.
He advised parents or guardians of the victims to report to police victim unit for the law to take its course against perpetrators.
Mr Lingambe said the high teenage pregnancy rates was a concerning issue which needed concerted efforts from all members of one society.
While early pregnancies may be attributed to poverty and youth delinquency, patriarchal attitudes against the development of the girl child and abuse of the girls by the same people who should be protecting them are worsening this problem.
Media reports show that relatives, religious leaders and other influential community leaders who should be shepherding growing girls are actually at the forefront of abusing them, forcing them into early marriages, when they should be in school?
That development alone stalls Government efforts to curb the problem of early child marriages, throwing the girl child in a vicious cycle of poverty.
Adolescent pregnancies are a global problem but occur most often in poorer and marginalised communities. Many girls face considerable pressure to marry early and become mothers while they are still a child.
Teenage pregnancy increases when girls are denied the right to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and well-being.
Girls must be able to make their own decisions about their bodies and futures and have access to appropriate healthcare services and education.
Since 1996, Plan International Zambia has been promoting children’s rights alongside communities, partners and the government.
Their work is based on the belief in the power and potential of every child and support the most vulnerable children and their communities to be free from poverty.
Their work, similar to other development agencies tackle the root causes of issues facing girls, such as child marriage, teenage pregnancy, violence, exclusion and poverty.
Plan International works in Central, Luapula, and Eastern Provinces and our central office is located in Lusaka.
They have been active in Eastern Province where the numbers of teen pregnancies and early marriages are seeing a rise, but that does not discount the efforts being made to protect the girl child.
According to a report approximately 90% of births to girls aged 15-19 in developing countries occur within early marriage where there is often an imbalance of power, no access to contraception and pressure on girls to prove their fertility.
Factors such as parental income and the extent of a girl’s education also contribute. Girls who have received minimal education are 5 times more likely to become a mother than those with higher levels of education. Pregnant girls often drop out of school, limiting opportunities for future employment and perpetuating the cycle of poverty. In many cases, girls perceive pregnancy to be a better option than continuing their education.
In addition, the unique risks faced by girls during emergencies increase the chances of them becoming pregnant. Factors include the desire to compensate for the loss of a child, reduced access to information and contraception and increased sexual violence.
Child marriages stand in the way of the girls’ progress, and the revelations by Ms Phiri that 500 girls had been married off make sad reading indeed.
It dampens the efforts that stakeholders across the social and political divides are making to ensure that no girl drops out of school due to early marriages.
Apart from the social stigma they are likely to face, they end up in violent marriages because of the power dynamics within those relationships.
They also experience birth complications and, the practice has been deemed to cause high mortality rates.
Thus the cycle of violence and poverty that begins in girlhood, carries over into womanhood and across generations until the woman dies.
We cannot continue to subject and condemn young and vulnerable girls to a perpetual life of misery, when we should be guiding them towards a better life by protecting them from sexual predators.
They can secure a better future, if they remain in school and are protected from early sexual experiences.
That will only happen if communities take ownership of the problem of early child marriages, by ensuring that they also censure those that prey on young girls.
Communities should take proactive measures to bring to book those perpetuating early child marriages within their midst.
With legislation backing the prosecution and sentencing of abusers of young girls, early child marriages should be dealt with, once and for all.