Since Covid-19 pandemic, the number of teen moms has gone up. This is something Phinah Kodisang of the Soul City Institute says is not shocking to them because it's not a new problem, but the pandemic has put a spotlight on it.The organisation says in a country where sexual violence against women is a pandemic on its own, it is only logical that the most vulnerable group ?" young girls ?" would be impacted in this manner. There were over 23 000 pregnancies reported in Gauteng between April 2020 andMarch last year. They say the numbers demand that we all must interrogate how we reinforce the status quo and not just be shocked and move on as we tend to do.

PERPETRATORS NOT TAKEN TO ACCOUNT

"Men are the perpetrators of these act of sexual violence towards young girls, their sense of entitlement to women's bodies extends to even girls.  It is disconcerting that in a country where the age of sexual consent is 16 years, there are no records of statutory rape cases despite the departments of health, police and social development being aware of the problem,' the organisation said in a statement.                                                                                                                                                                        The institute says this issue will take different sectors to address it as it is quite complex. But its quite stern in its stand that men who are perpetrators ought to be taken into task for their actions.

TEENAGE PREGNANCY UNDERMINES GENDER PARITY

Basic education minister, Angie Motshekga said in her Teenage Pregnancy in SA study foreword, teenage pregnancy undermines the department's efforts to ensure that girl children remain in school, in order to contribute towards a quality life for all, free of poverty.                                                                                                                      "The Department of Basic Education has taken an active role in seeking to understand and effectively address this challenge, as it impacts significantly on learners,' she promised. "The responsibility is not just for government, civil society organisations but on communities as well. Communities must interrogate what are some of the practices that have been normalised that enable violation of young girls to continue with impunity, and how have religious, cultural institutions that are supposed to ensure a cohesive society also failed young girls,' The Soul City Institute said.