We live in a society which indirectly victimise girls who got children at an early age.
In most cases, especially in rural areas, teen moms are discouraged and excluded in many activities. They are called by various disgracing names and most parents don’t want their children to associate with them claiming that they will teach their children things which
are out of ways.
Many teenagers died of depression due to stress of early pregnancy, some gave up on their academic lives, some commits suicide due to lack of support from their parents, friends and the society as a whole while others end up engaging themselves in substance abuse hoping
that it will make their problems fade away.
Gone are those days where mothers and grandmothers would sit with their young girls and teach them the dangers of engaging themselves in sexual activities at young age or of not using protection during sexual intercourse. Sex has become the forbidden language in many families, our own mothers are no longer comfortable to talk with their children things of nature yet they blame them when consequences occur.
The South African government has implemented subjects like life orientation where learners were supposed to be taught about the dangers of premature sex from early grades but our teachers are shy to talk about it and chooses to teach about physical activities only, hence young girls are naïve, pressurized by their peers and end up getting unwanted pregnancies at early age.
As I conclude, I want to encourage all teenagers who are facing the same challenges out there, to remember that you don’t have to close a book to start a new chapter; you can just turn the page instead. Embrace those gifts of yours, babies are blessings from above. Let
that baby of yours be the reasons for you to work hard. I am not encouraging teens to have children but what occurred cannot be changed, the best thing to do is to try not repeating the same mistake again if it was indeed a mistake, remember that every accomplishment begins with a decision to try.
Article by Amukelani Khosa
