South Africa’s Department of Health said Thursday that more than 1,000 youth-friendly zones have been set up in the country’s healthcare institutions to promote knowledge of reproductive rights and address underage pregnancies.
“We’ve established youth-friendly zones dedicated to serving young people. We always try to raise awareness about sexual reproductive matters and the prevention of teenage pregnancy,” said Foster Mohale, the department’s spokesperson.
From April 2022 to March 2023, there were more than 4,000 births given by young girls between the ages of 10 and 14 that were registered in medical institutions, according to data from the department.
According to Statistics South Africa, more than 90,000 girls below the age of 19 gave birth between March 2021 and April 2022 across the country, making it one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies ever recorded.
Healthcare professionals have received training on how to provide services that are youth-friendly, according to Mohale.
“We also work in close collaboration with youth support partners such as LoveLife and Soul City to communicate, mobilize, and advocate for young people to access facilities through youth zones,” he said.
