SA has highest teenage pregnancy rate globally - WHO

Summary

The World Health Organization report highlights South Africa's alarming teenage pregnancy rates, with one in five girls falling pregnant before 20. The script discusses socio-economic factors, such as poverty and substance abuse, contributing to this issue. It emphasizes the importance of comprehensive sex education and the role of community structures in addressing these challenges. The conversation features insights from the LoveLife organization, which engages with young people to equip them with skills to navigate these issues and gauges the success of its programs through research and community feedback.

Takeaways

• 🌍 South Africa has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy globally, with one in five girls becoming pregnant before turning 20.
• 📈 There is an increase in HIV among girls aged 15 to 19, indicating a worrying trend in the country's youth.
• 💔 Socio-economic issues, particularly poverty, are a significant factor contributing to teenage pregnancy.
• 💰 Transactional sex is mentioned as a contributing factor, where young girls may engage in sexual activities for material gains.
• 👨‍👧 The lack of negotiation skills and the desire for material benefits can lead to unprotected sex and increased vulnerability.
• 🚫 Substance abuse among teenagers is another contributing factor, with intoxication reducing the ability to make safe decisions.
• 👦 The conversation also needs to include boys and men, who are often the perpetrators in these situations.
• 👶 The impact of young boys becoming fathers at a young age is highlighted, causing emotional distress and a lack of support.
• 🏫 Resistance from some school governing bodies to comprehensive sex education is a challenge in addressing these issues.
• 🏛 The role of community structures, including the church, is crucial in supporting education and programs for young people.
• 📊 Love Life measures the success of their programs through research and feedback from the community and stakeholders.

Q & A

What is the main concern highlighted in the World Health Organization report about South Africa?

The report highlights that South Africa has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy globally, with one in five girls getting pregnant before they turn 20.

What factors contribute to the high rate of teenage pregnancy in South Africa according to the discussion?

Socio-economic issues such as poverty, lack of education, and substance abuse are major contributing factors. Transactional sex and peer pressure also play a role.

How does poverty affect teenage girls' vulnerability to pregnancy in South Africa?

Poverty leads to a lack of resources and education, making girls more vulnerable to men who use material things to lure them into sexual relationships, often without proper negotiation skills or condom use.

What role does substance abuse play in the increase of teenage pregnancy and HIV among young people?

Substance abuse impairs judgment and increases the influence of peers, leading to unprotected sexual encounters and a higher risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

What is the significance of the 'Boy Child' program mentioned in the discussion?

The 'Boy Child' program is designed to engage young boys in conversations about their roles, the effects of becoming young parents, and to address the issue of men taking advantage of teenage girls.

How does the script differentiate between the impact of young boys and older men on teenage pregnancy?

The script suggests that older men are more likely to have the intention of impregnating teenage girls, whereas young boys are more likely to be involved in peer relationships without the same level of intention.

What challenges do educators and community structures face in disseminating sexual education?

Some school governing bodies resist comprehensive sex education, and there is often a taboo against parents discussing these issues with their children, leading to a lack of support and understanding.

How does Love Life approach the issue of teenage pregnancy and HIV?

Love Life engages in various programs such as the 'Boy Child' program, adolescent youth-friendly services, and community activations to educate and support young people in understanding and managing these issues.

What is the role of parents in addressing teenage pregnancy and HIV among their children?

Parents are encouraged to follow their children's education trends, engage in conversations about school work and projects, and seek help from community leaders or Love Life counselors to discuss these issues with their children.

How does Love Life measure the success of its programs?

Love Life uses research and measurement tools to assess the impact of their programs on the lives of young people, involving stakeholders and collecting success stories to gauge effectiveness.

Outlines

00:00

😔 Socioeconomic Factors and Teenage Pregnancy in South Africa

The first paragraph discusses the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy in South Africa, as reported by the World Health Organization. It highlights that one in five girls become pregnant before the age of 20, with a concurrent increase in HIV among the same age group. The conversation in the studio with Dilara Ladi, a love life manager, delves into the contributing factors, such as poverty and socio-economic issues, which make young girls vulnerable to transactional sex and exploitation. The lack of negotiating skills and the influence of peer pressure, especially when substance abuse is involved, further increase the risk of unprotected sex and the spread of STIs. The dialogue also touches on the importance of addressing the role of adult men in impregnating teenage girls and the need for conversations with young boys about the consequences of early parenthood.

05:01

😕 The Impact of Early Fatherhood and Accountability Among Men

The second paragraph continues the discussion on teenage pregnancy, focusing on the effects of young boys becoming fathers and the emotional distress they face due to the lack of support and guidance. It contrasts the typical relationships between young boys and girls, which are often about socializing and future discussions, with the intentional actions of older men who take advantage of young girls. The paragraph emphasizes the need for accountability among men and the role of various societal structures, such as the education system, communities, and the church, in disseminating information about sexual education. It also points out the challenges faced by these structures in providing comprehensive sex education due to resistance and taboos, and the importance of parental involvement in these conversations.

10:01

🌟 Love Life's Initiatives and Measuring Program Success

The final paragraph outlines the various initiatives undertaken by Love Life to address the issues of teenage pregnancy and sexual education. It describes the organization's youth-friendly services, which provide a dedicated space for young people at clinics, and its out-of-school programs that engage with youth in various community settings. The paragraph also discusses the importance of measuring the success of these programs through research and stakeholder feedback, ensuring that the impact is both traceable and significant. The summary concludes with an appreciation for the work done by Love Life and its commitment to changing lives through education and support.

Keywords

💡Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy refers to the occurrence of pregnancy in females under the age of 20. In the context of the video, it is highlighted as a significant issue in South Africa, with one in five girls becoming pregnant before they turn 20. This statistic is alarming and is part of a broader conversation about the health and social implications for young girls and their families.

💡World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. In the video, a WHO report is mentioned as the source of data on teenage pregnancy rates in South Africa, emphasizing the global nature of the issue and the importance of international health agencies in monitoring and addressing such concerns.

💡HIV

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system and can lead to AIDS. The video discusses an increase in HIV among girls aged 15 to 19 in South Africa, linking it to unprotected sexual activity and the broader issue of teenage pregnancy. This highlights the intersection of sexual health and infectious diseases in the context of adolescent health.

💡Socioeconomic Issues

Socioeconomic issues encompass the social and economic factors that influence people's lives, such as poverty, education, and employment. In the video, socioeconomic issues are identified as a major contributing factor to teenage pregnancy, with poverty specifically mentioned as a driving force that makes young girls vulnerable to exploitation and transactional sex.

💡Transactional Sex

Transactional sex involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for goods or services. The video script mentions this as a reality for some young girls in South Africa, where they might engage in sexual relationships to address economic needs, thus increasing their risk of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

💡Negotiating Skills

Negotiating skills refer to the ability to discuss and agree on terms with others. In the context of the video, the lack of negotiating skills among young girls is highlighted as a factor that limits their ability to insist on safer sex practices, such as condom use, which in turn contributes to the high rates of teenage pregnancy and HIV.

💡Substance Abuse

Substance abuse involves the excessive use of drugs or alcohol, leading to physical, mental, or social problems. The video discusses substance abuse among teenagers, suggesting that it can impair judgment and increase the likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior, which is directly linked to the issues of teenage pregnancy and HIV.

💡Comprehensive Sex Education

Comprehensive sex education is a type of education that covers a wide range of topics related to sexual health, including anatomy, puberty, contraception, and consent. The video script highlights the challenges in implementing comprehensive sex education in schools due to resistance from some school governing bodies, which is crucial for addressing the issues of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

💡Love Life

Love Life is an organization mentioned in the video that works on various programs aimed at addressing issues related to teenage pregnancy, HIV, and sexual health. The organization is involved in community engagement, education, and support services, demonstrating a proactive approach to tackling the complex issues faced by young people in South Africa.

💡Accountability

Accountability in the context of the video refers to the responsibility that individuals, particularly men, have for their actions, such as engaging in unprotected sex and impregnating young girls. The script discusses the need for men to be held accountable for their actions and the role of societal structures in promoting a culture of responsibility and respect.

💡Youth-Friendly Services

Youth-friendly services are programs and services designed to be accessible and appealing to young people, often focusing on health and well-being. The video mentions a program called 'adolescent youth-friendly services' where young people have a dedicated space at clinics, illustrating the importance of creating environments that cater specifically to the needs and preferences of young individuals.

Highlights

South Africa has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy globally.

One in five girls in South Africa get pregnant before turning 20.

HIV rates have increased among girls aged 15 to 19.

Socio-economic issues like poverty contribute to teenage pregnancy.

Transactional sex is a factor in teenage pregnancy due to socio-economic pressures.

Lack of negotiating skills in young girls makes them vulnerable to unprotected sex and exploitation.

Substance abuse among teenagers increases the risk of unprotected sex and HIV.

The Boy Child program engages young boys in discussions about the effects of early parenthood.

Adult men, not teenage boys, are primarily responsible for impregnating teenage girls.

Men with money are often implicated in taking advantage of young girls.

Comprehensive sex education in schools faces resistance from some school governing bodies.

Comprehensive sex education should cover biological changes and appropriate responses.

Community and religious structures play a crucial role in supporting sexual education programs.

Parents need to engage in conversations with their children about sexual education based on their maturity.

Love Life provides support for parents and communities through counseling and educational programs.

Love Life's programs aim to impact young people's lives positively, focusing on one person at a time.

Love Life's adolescent youth-friendly services create a dedicated space for young people at clinics.

The success of Love Life's programs is measured through research and community feedback.

Transcripts

a World Health Organization report

states that South Africa has one of the

highest rates of teenage pregnancy

globally researched by the health agency

shows that one in five girls get

pregnant before they turn 20 at the same

time the report says HIV has increased

among girls between the ages of 15 and

19 for more on this rather worrying

conversation we joined in Studio by love

life haing manager dilar Ladi who is in

studio Tilly very good evening thanks so

much W for speaking to

us this stat is is most worrying one in

five teenage girls falling pregnant by

the time they're 20 well at the end of

19 I suppose um what do we attribute

to well uh thank you and good evening to

to you and the the viewers at home uh

it's a woring

issue because we would have been

thinking of the statistic going down at

this time but now sadly the St statistic

is increasing and if you just look at

the statistic that you have indicated um

we are not winning this war and we know

through our observation is love life

that we there are still uh many

attributing factors to these issues

firstly it's socio economic issues like

poverty we cannot avoid that it's it's a

fact that um so are you are you then

suggesting that

when we talk poverty I'm sorry to

interject it might suggest that it's is

is it a values issue or is it an issue

of uh let me go out let me these young

girls are receiving uh money in exchange

for for sexual

FS there is transactional sex but we

don't want to start there that's why I

say social social economic issues it

start with how we are socializing how we

are living these young girls are in in

in in a family where where they don't

have much H to afford and then she goes

out and then she becomes vulnerable to

these guys or man who knows what to do

who uses material things to L them and

then they don't have much negotiating

skills because they're looking forward

at what they can get and if you're

looking forward to what you can get from

these men what are the chances of

negotiating the use of condoms the the

thinking or the discussion about

postponing or pronging the the the

actual sexual intercourse you don't have

much chance so so then you get into this

sexual intercourse or relationship or

transaction hoping to get something to

address social issues that you're going

through in your family or in your social

life that is what is exposing our young

people as well poverty and we cannot

avoid to talk about substance

abuse you know there is a

teenage pressure a peer pressure amongst

young people where they go out they

prize each other and then they engage in

substance abuse and we know that when

you're intoxicated the level of

reasoning would change the level of

influence from others would increase and

then the chances of yourself being

exposed become vulnerable to sexual

intercourse or sexual relationship

increases as well and how much do you

have a a strength to negotiate the use

of condoms and if in the absence of use

of condoms we talking about sexual

transmitted infections we're talking

about HIV and age that we've just seen

the the states and then teenage

pregnancy comes in the play so that's

the situation we're going through as as

a country Ty that's that's one half of

the equation and and it's one half

because we've talked about the the girl

child we've talked about females but

let's talk about the men let's talk

about the boys you know the the

perpetrators uh the men who are making

these young girls pregnant what are the

conversations that we should be having

with them or what is their reasoning

right in having unprotected sex or

abusing or taking advantage of teenage

girls you know my example was very much

intentional when I talk about men who

have money because what we we are

starting to do is to have conversation

with young we have a program called The

Boy Child program because we have

realized that we are having these

programs engaging girls engaging women

but we are living behind this young boy

who also is going through a lot so the

statistics will tell you that amongst

these young boys it's only you know not

even a quarter of them impregnating the

teenagers it's adults who are imp

preting and in you know last time we're

talking about Educators who who have

been they registered from the system

because they are also part of the of the

problem so we have a program designed to

talk to young young young boys to just

engage them on who they are what are the

effects of them becoming young parents

at that age of teenagehood as well and

we have very very pictorial examples

that we have on the ground where we have

young young boys going through emotional

distress because of becoming a father at

that age and they don't know who to talk

to in most int and that's where we come

in a love

life I'm glad you raise that issue

because I had a conversation on on us

Africa with with a gentleman who does

similar work to to what you do in fact

uh he speaks to Young juvenile uh

delinquents so those that are within the

the prison system and that have

perpetrated all all sorts of crime and

and he gave the example of himself and

he says he didn't know his father until

he was 14 at which time he went to look

for his father and his father was not

interested but when he went to look for

his father he was told that well you are

you the 20th uh who's come to this man

claiming to to be his son or or his or

his daughter which which raises the the

question

around accountability by men uh and you

talk just now about well there is

frustration and there is threats for

these young people but how big a

percentage are the youngsters that are

making these uh young women pregnant

versus

the the older men you know people like

uh you and I that are going there and

and taking advantage of these young

girls a typical relationship of a young

boy and a young girl would involve them

socializing engaged in you know future

discussions engag in educational you

know aspects of of their life that's a

that's a normal relationship of a young

boy and a young girl that is why

statistic will tell you that this young

boys are less compared to adult or to

men who are pregnan young girls because

they come with intention the older men

come with intention and the young ones

the peers are engaged in in Intimate

relationship discussing about themselves

finding who they are and where they are

going that is why the number is very low

and and hence those that are involved in

impregnating teenagers as teenagers we

get them very much in affected by by by

by social issues or mental health issues

so so so the men older men are the

problem here so so love life obviously

equ Crypts these young people with

certain skill sets certain certain

information but you you can't be

everywhere right so let's talk about the

the education system let's talk about

communities let's talk about the church

and and and other structures how

effective are they as a tool of

disseminating issues around sexual

education are they disseminating the

right information are they answering the

right

questions it's a long journey you know

quite to be quite honest with you we we

we have a

challenge that uh when we talk about

comprehensive uh sex education at

schools we find challenge with some

school governing bodies ER resisting

that kind of approach to Learners at

schools then it tells you how much

support they can give to learners they

resistant to comprehensive sex education

what is comprehensive what what what

does it mean if it's comprehensive

comprehensive sex education would would

mean that we are talking about who they

are biologically what happens when as a

young boy you start having

erections what are the signs what do you

do when you have these signs and and

when you are a young girl what happens

when you start developing breast or

pubic ass so it's a comprehensive it's

like a detailed kind of an education

that when they get this education if

they have to go home and continue the

engagement with parents then because

they there's still a taboo of parents

talking to to young people then it's

where did you get this I

personally three months ago I'm sure at

a shop I was confronted by a a white

male who said yeah you work for love

life because you saw my C I said yes sir

and he engaged about why are you

teaching our people our youngsters these

issues at school we don't agree with

this so you can see the Gap it's still

huge then the role of community and this

other structures it's quite challenging

because we need them to buy in first

then they will be able to be supportive

in the education or programs that we

implementing as love life but I must

tell you there are other sectors of of

community structure that are very

supportive you know the church is it's

available they are very supportive

because they are exposed they understand

they have these young people under their

youth Wings where they see these mental

health challenges so we appreciate or

approach those kind of structures but

some it's being

difficult so where do where do parents

come in because I mean you do raise an

important issue and that is um what do

we say to our children when do we start

speaking to them uh and what are those

conversations right those conversation

mean the conversation that a that a

10-year-old is likely to have or should

be having versus a a 14-year-old

16-year-old obviously should be

different based on based on maturity and

based on the fact that young people like

to like to experiment so just what

information is enough information

depending on the on the age of of the

minor that you're dealing with we we are

very lucky Community today because these

young people they can lead you as a

parent they are very they as a lot of

questions but the the first approach

follow their Trends the their the the

their their school work and look at what

they getting as homeworks or or projects

that's how you start talking to them you

can see the level of Education they're

receiving at their at their grades then

that's where you can start by asking a

question do you understand this how far

how far do you know this you know you

can then level your your discussion with

a child that way but we do have parents

who are illiterate as well we always

advise identifying somebody in the

family who who have a skill to approach

young people to speak to we have

Community leaders you can engage with

them to say I have this challenge I'm

milit but I can see my children are

growing up and they need this

information that's how you can approach

it we are there as love life you just

send us a please call me 083 323 1023

and speak to one of our counselors who

would then approach very well these

young people telephonically and address

these issues

even advise you on how to approach

speaking to to to to to your children so

T we've we've talked about one aspect of

what love life does let's let's talk

about the organization and the impact

that you're making on on various

communities uh across across the

country we we are making a huge

impact uh you know what what I always

talk to my team about to is to say if at

least one day in our our programs you

can make sure that one young person has

changed his or her life we have done

enough so if we are there at a given

clinic for 5 days we have our

implementers who we call them ground

Breakers and impinges who are there for

5 days at a clinic then they are

interacting with young people who are

coming to a clinic because we have a

program which is called adolescent youth

friendly Services where we have created

a youth zone where young people don't go

and C with old people they have a

specific space Zone where they go and

get their services there through our

ground breaker and a youngness who is

dedicated for young people so so this is

the impact that we are making every day

in the country where we have the

dedicated program for young people who

are going to clinics we have out of

school programs where we have you know

activations in communities we we go to

malls we go to Social Clubs where young

people are just recently we've been

doing Distributing condoms at par

we are having engagement with young

people and old people we asking

questions about condoms female condoms

what do we do so the impact that we're

making might not be visible to anybody

publicly but we know on the ground there

is a lot of impact that we are doing and

we do this through a variety of programs

even Sports programs that we're engaging

those who are at sports who are not

where we are at clinics but we go to the

way they are and then talk to them

before they start

practicing and during tournaments so the

impact is it's very much traceable and

very much

huge uh finally finally very very

quickly um how do you gauge the success

of your

programs we we we we will have a

measurement tools or a a a department

that is called programs and measurements

and design H where we do research after

a a period of implementation of our

programs we go on the ground and do

research to say how many people receive

our programs how

has impacted their lives and even

involve other stakeholders to say do

they know about love life have they

followed our programs what impacts are

they making and we have many successful

people who we are able to to produce

stories that they telling out of the

impact that they receive through our

programs TI appreciate your time thanks

so much for speaking to us