Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care chairperson Ruth Labode said that the levels of teenage pregnancies in Zimbabwe have reached epidemic levels, with thousands of teenagers forced to quit school after falling pregnant.
Contributing to a discussion in the National Assembly on Wednesday on what action responsible authorities must take regarding underage children who die while giving birth, Labode said the scourge of teenage pregnancies will not end unless urgent action is taken. She said:
Madam Speaker, I am hurt and shocked that the levels of teenage pregnancies in Zimbabwe have reached epidemic levels and for us to sit here and pretend there is a social norm or a family core that will deal with that issue is very sad.
I remember Minister (Sithembiso) Nyoni came to this House and presented a report of 55 000 teenage girls who got pregnant within a month.
The report on Education said 10 000 teenage girls left school because of pregnancies and we sit here and pretend it is something that will just disappear.
What I am saying is that we have a serious problem at hand.
We need to do everything within our power and deal with Section 35 of the Public Health Act.
We know that our young women are indulging in sex. Why do we want to pretend that they should not go to health facilities and get that service that can serve them? We have to do something.
This follows the death of a Grade 7 pupil from Katanga, Norton, a small town in Mashonaland West Province, who died while giving birth in Bikita on 04 October 2022.
Nokutenda Hwaramba, who was 15, died at an apostolic church shrine while giving birth.
In July 2021, 14-year-old Anna Machaya died while giving birth at an apostolic shrine in Marange.
In January 2022, 15-year-old Ferby Munyafi of Chiadzwa Village in Marange died from excessive bleeding while delivering. | CITE