Statistics show that children as young as six are
sexually active in KwaZulu-Natal. Over 2000
schoolgirls fell pregnant over the last two years in
Gauteng, while in the Eastern Cape one high school alone
reported 26 pregnant schoolgirls in 2005.
That
schoolgirls are falling pregnant is not a new phenomenon
– but the rate at which they are doing so has
increased.
This week
Special Assignment
meets concerned parents, learners and young
mothers to discuss the link between child support grants
and teenagers falling pregnant.
We talk
to the community of Matimatolo in rural
KwaZulu-Natal where parents admit that there is a link
between teenagers falling pregnant and the child support
grant. In Bergville, KZN, we visit a pay point where
child support grants are being paid out and speak to
several young mothers. Many tell us that they spend the
grants on themselves.
We also
highlight the problem of mixed messages that are sent
out about contraception and HIV-Aids. We meet “Focus on
the Family”, an NGO preaching abstinence in schools.
They encourage primary school kids to sign pledges that
they will abstain from sex until they get married. They
also propagate the notion that kids shouldn’t use
condoms because condoms won’t protect them.
Perhaps
more disturbing were comments from learners of Beverly
Hills in Sebokeng – a high school ranked second in
Gauteng for its high rate of teenage pregnancy. A young
father clearly said he doesn’t use a condom and still
prefers skin-on-skin sex because the girls he sleeps
with don’t have Aids. If they had the virus he said he
would feel it in his blood.
Schoolgirls
in Sebokeng talk about why they shy away from using
contraceptives, including condoms. They also admit that
they don’t use child support grants exclusively for
their children – but often spend the money on themselves
buying clothes and other goods.
Rent
A Womb is directed by
Thuli Nhlapo and was filmed by Dudley Saunders and Thulo
Monare.
