Question NW130 to the Minister in The Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
24 March 2023 - NW130
Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister in The Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
(1) Whether, considering that the number of births delivered by adolescents aged between 10 and 19 in the public health facilities of the Republic rose from 129 223 in 2019 to 139 361 in 2022, she will furnish Ms M D Hlengwa with an overview of how her Office monitored adolescent pregnancies in schools in 2022; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) (a) how has her Office’s monitoring of adolescent pregnancies assist adolescent mothers and (b) what steps has her Office taken to assist the Department of Basic Education to prevent adolescent pregnancies from increasing in
Reply:
1. The monitoring of adolescent births is a competency of the Department of Health. This part of the question may be directed to the Minister of Health.
2(a) . Not applicable.
(b) The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) is cooperating with the Department of Basic Education (DoE) to develop a Plan of Action (PoA) on Teenage Pregnancy. The PoA will be implemented by various departments and stakeholders and the DWYPD will monitor its implementation. In the PoA, the DWYPD will be implementing intergenerational dialogues on teenage pregnancies in communities to prevent teenage pregnancies.