GOVERNMENT URGED TO ASSIST PREGNANT TEENS

By Meclina Chirwa

NGO Coalition on Child Rights has called on government to source funds with which to help girls who got pregnant during the long holiday imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Due to the pandemic Malawi has registered over forty thousand teen pregnancies, a period which has also seen a lot of girls involved in child marriages.

Some quarters have attributed this to lack of awareness on sexual reproductive health rights among girls.

Speaking in an interview with Timveni, chairperson for NGO Coalition on Child Rights Desmond Mhango said the figures are very alarming.

According to Mhango there is need for government to source funds for helping the girls and ensure that they go back to school.

He emphasized that, the development is a matter of emergency and it calls for affirmative action from government.

Mhango hinted that there is need for financial and technical resourcing for rehabilitation, maintenance of the babies, return to school of all the pregnant girls, withdrawal and returning to school of the girls who are married.

In the wake of Covid-19 40,000 girls got pregnant and 22,000 girls married.