EC teenage birth rate must be 'declared a national pandemic,' says expert

CAPE TOWN - A leading child and youth advocacy organisation has said the teenage birth rate crisis in the Eastern Cape is something that has been ignored for far too long.

Statistics show more than 100 children aged between 10 tand 14 have given birth in the Eastern Cape between April and July this year.

Nearly 5,000 teenagers have delivered babies in the same period. 

The director of the Teddy Bear Clinic, a leading child and youth advocacy organisation working to protect minors from abuse and exploitation, Shaheda Omar said: "This is just something that has been left for far too long. It's a national pandemic, and the president has to address it. We have to declare this a national pandemic because the reality is that South Africa has increasing numbers of children giving birth to children." 

Omar added that the crisss is testament to deep-seated social injustices.

"We know there is learner on learner sexual abuse but there's a lot of adults on learner and educator on learner, and those are the cases. The statutory rape cases that are not coming to the fore. What we are getting are only the cases that are being reported," said Omar.  

She further said that research is being done for authorities to establish what needs to be done to address the crisis.