Pregnant school girls: Zimbabwe’s law a good start

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OPINION| Pregnant school girls: Zimbabwe’s law a good start - But stigma remains, and measures such as low or no school fees, bursaries and mentorship could improve teenage mothers’ future opportunities

, while still controversial in some contexts, have gone a long way towards securing their right to remain in school.

The implementation of these policies provides insights for a review of the structural changes needed to strengthen their effectiveness. Zimbabwe, for instance, revised its Education Act in 2019 to include no discrimination based on pregnancy. According to researchers, in an article published last month, progress has been slow and more needs to be done.

Adolescent maternal mortality is a global concern, with the World Health Organisation noting that complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15 to 19 years globally. that: “Of the estimated 5.6-million abortions that occur each year among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years, 3.9-million are unsafe, contributing to maternal mortality, morbidity, and lasting health problems.

She said that one of the immediate problems is the ostracisation fuelled by the gossip among family, community, colleagues and even school authorities. Most girls cannot cope, resulting in some quitting school and going off to get married, she said. “Maybe some girls have been lucky, but once known to be pregnant, the stigma is unbearable.”

Some Zimbabwean legislators confirm how unwelcome this conversation still is. Ronald Nyathi, the MP for Shurugwi North, argued that these measures encouraged child marriages and pregnancy. But Afrobarometer findings presented in July, by the Mass Public Opinion Institute in Bulawayo, showed that almost seven out of 10 Zimbabweans support pregnant girls’ re-entry to school.

 

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