WHILE Chatsworth is officially listed as a “high burden area” for teenage pregnancies, community leaders reveal alarming unreported cases in Phoenix, Tongaat and Verulam, with one NGO handling 85 teen pregnancy cases this year alone.
Parents’ concern about stigma and schools’ reluctance to report cases contribute to misleading statistics.
Daniel Chettiar, the founder of the DSK Group, a non-profit organisation based in Phoenix, said they dealt with 85 teen pregnancy cases this year alone.
“From the 85 cases, 71 were Indian girls. About 30 of the parents told us they were not forced to report the male. Most people think that teen pregnancy is not rife in the Indian community, but it is a major issue as reflected in the statistics.
“Last week we dealt with a 15-year-old from Phoenix. She was six months pregnant when her parents found out. We also dealt with a pregnant Grade 8 pupil from Umhlanga, who mixed with the wrong crowd in Verulam.
“She went to a house party and consumed alcohol. She woke up in bed with a boy. She menstruated normally each month and did not know she was pregnant. She is now four months pregnant and her parents are devastated,” said Chettiar.
“A 15-year-old, straight A pupil, from Tongaat, fell pregnant after playing a truth or dare game at a house party. She was dared to have sex with her classmate without a condom.
“She was a top pupil who never got into trouble. She was in the top three in her grade. She is now seven months pregnant. The youngest girl pregnant this year was a nine-year-old from Phoenix. We could not intervene and the case was handled by the Department of Social Development,” he said.
“Parenting plays a role in this. We attended a meeting recently at a school where a boy impregnated a girl in his class. The boy’s dad was an educated, upstanding man in the community.
“I was shocked when he said ‘A man must sow his seeds. If a girl cannot close her legs, then you cannot blame the boy. A man must eat. If your daughter is stupid enough to sleep with my son without a condom, who do you blame?’
“He said this to the girl’s parents, in front of the girl,” Chettiar added.
“The problem is that Indian parents are too concerned about the stigma, and they do not open statutory rape cases against the male. Parents are more concerned about hiding the ‘shameful pregnancy, when they can do more to know about their children, and what they are up to. If parents ask the right questions, they will get the right answers. They need to be more vigilant.”
Chettiar said many parents were afraid that their daughters would commit suicide and did not discipline them enough.
“When we counsel young pregnant girls, they tell us they do not need to speak to us, and they had consensual sex. Some ask us to call their parents, who are aware of them being sexually active, and they refuse to accept the counselling. Some principals also contribute to this behaviour by not reporting the pregnant girls to the Department of Education or to police. Therefore, the statistics are not factual.
“Schools do not want to acknowledge that there is a problem, and they hide the pregnancies as they do not want statistics to show at their schools,” he added.
Brandon Pillay, a community leader in Chatsworth, said teenage pregnancies were rife in Chatsworth.
“In most cases it is a lack of parental or adult supervision. It is important for parents and guardians to have important conversations with young girls. While I am of the firm view and belief that abstinence is what we should be teaching, we also have to accept the reality that young people are exposed to becoming sexually active at a young age.
“We need to change our education to prevention and family planning. My greatest concern and what breaks me is when a child has to give birth to a baby knowing fully well that they cannot even take care of themselves. I believe there is more need for parenting skills workshops, awareness and education,” he added.
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