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The Chairperson of the Multi-Party Women’s Caucus, Ms Kate Bilankulu, is disappointed by the reported high rate of pregnancy among school-going teenagers.
 
The Department of Basic Education tabled An Overview of DBE Programmes that Prevent and Manage Learner Pregnancies in Schools Report before the Multi-Party Women’s Caucus recently. The report revealed that as many as 88 000 schoolgirls between the ages 15 and 19 fell pregnant during the year.

Ms Bilankulu said: “This is a wrong way of bringing up children in any society and should be frowned upon. It must not happen that while children are attending school, they are made to accept the ultimate responsibility of bearing children.”

“These children are sexually violated and in some instances by male educators who are supposed to play the parent role. Sexually active learners should be encouraged to make use of effective family planning programmes and should be discouraged from getting involved in this risky behaviour. There is no honour in having a child when the focus ought to be in the classroom,” continued Ms Bilankulu.

She said, if needed, family planning programmes and interventions led by trained healthcare providers should visit schools to share information on using protection with all children.

Ms Bilankulu called on elderly men and educators to desist from having sexual relations with children and said they should be exposed for their predatory tendencies.

“Sex craze men should bear the responsibility of their criminal behaviour and cases of rape should be laid against them. If that does not happen, this behaviour will not stop. Our children should be empowered and protected against all forms of sexual violation,” added Ms Bilankulu.

According to her, there needs to be serious consequences in instances where educators are identified as perpetrators, as their code of conduct does not condone this kind of behaviour.
 

 

Issued by the Parliamentary communication Services on behalf of the chairperson of the Multi-Party Women’s Caucus, Kate Bilankulu