Adolescent pregnancy in Zimbabwe: The stigma that needs to be challenged

Historically, Zimbabwe's conservative and religious culture has had a problem with gender inequality and child marriages. However, the onset of COVID-19 has further exacerbated the adolescent pregnancy problem. From 2019 3000 girls were dropping out of school per year, and by the end of 2020, the number had risen to 4770. For many of these pregnant adolescents, their parents had to choose between paying school fees or paying for food for their families, leaving the girls with no option but to leave school and see pregnancy as the most viable option for their futures.

When Zimbabwe imposed a lockdown in March 2020, schools were closed for six weeks, taking away the only way for some to access contraceptive pills and sexual reproductive health advice. To get ahead of the pregnancy pandemic occurring in those aged 15-18 Zimbabwe amended its education amendment act. On the surface, the act was a big step forward. It addressed the prohibition of expelling pregnant girls from school and encouraged conversation about sexual and reproductive health issues in schools. It was supposed to be a step forward, but it still has its limits. 

With the act encouraging girls to come back to school, some were encouraged by their parents and officials to continue their education. However, what education ministers and officers failed to remember is the social aspect of schools. The girls who bravely took a step forward were ostracized for their early pregnancies, with the bullying transferring back to their communities. With a lack of constructive conversation happening in state schools, it's understandable why students would still carry around the prejudices their parents share with them at home. In one case one of the pregnant girls ended up selling her $2 uniform to pay for her baby’s clothing and other needs. It is a dilemma that no child or young adult should ever have to face, but for the young girls and women of Zimbabwe, it is all too common.

It is unsurprising why so many choose to leave and find jobs, as there is resistance from their parents, community leaders, and teachers. The girls are being failed at all angles, leaving them emotionally and physically isolated when they should be receiving adequate mental health and sexual health advice. Zimbabwe’s ‘culture’ has unfortunately always supported young pregnant girls to take care of their families instead of focusing on their health, and when they give birth, they become careers of both their husbands and their in-laws. It is the old way of doing things, and any attempt to shift away from this old way of thinking is met with resistance. 

Despite the progressive amendments to the Education Amendment act to support the girls constitutional right to education, the state continues to fail at its duty to provide learners with appropriate resources, facilities, and aid to the best possible development of the girls. The schools continue to be run by conservatives, who worry more about upholding cultural norms than placing the needs of adolescents at the forefront of their decisions. Despite section 4 of the act declaring the schools must provide sanitary wear and appoint reproductive health personnel at every school, teachers continue to ignore these steps. Most of these schools, which tend to be rural, claim they cannot admit the pregnant adolescents back as the pregnant girls lack focus or the schools are full. Due to a lack of cross-communication between schools, community leaders and parents, the adolescents remain unaware that they even have the option to return to school. This leaves them with very few options, such as choosing to leave their parents homes for their in-laws, entering the workforce as housemaids to support their child or in some cases opting for prostitution to provide. 

The public shaming that young adolescents face in Zimbabwe is an ongoing issue that needs to become less taboo. People choose to hold onto traditional myths of girls not being unable to have sex until the age of 20 or married, despite most young girls and women already having sex by the ages of 15-18. By maintaining the idea of sex as a taboo topic, the girls do not take the necessary steps to access sexual health services that could prevent the ongoing issue of adolescent pregnancy. When adolescents end up pregnant, due to a lack of sexual education and access to appropriate services, they are viewed as lost causes. It is the education system that has failed them. For these young girls and women, their youth should be a time to develop and gradually gain access to higher education to leave poverty, but the failing education system prevents this.

The cultural label continues to be used as an excuse to prevent young girls from getting an abortion. And when the advantages of marriage include a lobola(dowry), the girls are left in an uncomfortable position of choosing between short term money and their futures. Child marriage and adolescent pregnancy violate the rights of these girls, and the country should do more to create a harmony of policy and legislation across all sectors to address the drivers of adolescent fertility and strengthen the empowerment of young girls and women.

Although community organizations have been set up with support from international organizations, the government needs to invest in young adolescents to promote their healthy development and expand their access to sexual and reproductive health services. Only then can Zimbabwe hope of affecting positive change for young adolescent