28 Mar 2017

Mahalapye District Hospital has recorded 66 teenage pregnancies in 2016.
In an interview recently, a nurse at the youth-friendly clinic of the hospital, Ms Gasethata Mokgadi said some of these were  students who had permanently dropped out from school.
She indicated that they had realised that a number of students engaged in risky activities such as substance abuse and sexual relationships, which often led to teenage pregnancy and eventually abortion.
She explained that they were a youth-friendly clinic, which offered support to youngsters in a view to deter bad behaviour.
She explained that student’s bodies were not fully developed to engage in sexual activities, therefore the facility advocated for abstinence.
 She said  there could  be complications from indulging contracting HIV/AIDS, and HPV, which could lead to cervical cancer.
“The oldest secondary school student is 20 years old, therefore we advice 20-year-olds and younger to stay away from sexual relationships and substance abuse,” she said.
 Ms Mokgadi noted that often the girl child was the one who was susceptible to more harm than the boy child.
Further, she explained that they believed that the girl child should be resistant and maintain her stand by saying no or yes where appropriate.
She explained that at the clinic they were aiming at reducing the rate of teenage pregnancy to 10 per cent, which target would only be reached if the girl child took responsibility.
Further, Ms Mokgadi noted that they were concerned about some parents who did not report defilement cases.
Ms Mokgadi cited one incident in which an expectant teenager pleaded with the parents to spare her older lover because he supported the family financially.
She said this hindered discipline in the society,adding that punishment would act as a deterrent.  
She urged parents to discipline children if they misbehave in order to mould them to be better citizens.
“Children have rights, but these rights do not empower students to do as they please, Parents should study these rights in order to understand if they are violating them,” she said.
Ms Mokgadi advised parents to monitor their children by observing who they befriend, from which families and the places they visit.
 She said elders should avoid sending children to alcohol outlets to buy alcohol or tobacco.
Ms Mokgadi said their community outreach programme had yielded  good results by controlling high numbers of teenage pregnancy at Mowana JSS, where they worked in conjunction with UNFPA and the school community.
She said young people of ages 10-29 years should feel free to visit any youth-friendly clinic and get information and assistance on such things as family planning. ENDS