Claim: Adolescent girls aged between 12 and 16 years constitute 30 percent of deliveries at Mpilo Central Hospital.
Source: An article published in The Chronicle https://www.chronicle.co.zw/pregnant-pupils-commit-suicide/
“According to recent statistics from Mpilo Central Hospital, one of the two major health institutions in the city, children aged 12 to 16 now account for about 30 percent of deliveries,” read the article.
Verdict: Correct
Mpilo Central Hospital acting Chief Executive Officer Professor Solwayo Ngwenya said the statistics were correctly captured.
Prof Ngwenya also attributed the spike in teenage pregnancies to the loss of moral fibre.
An independent research conducted by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) backed the figures released by Mpilo Hospital.
https://zimbabwe.unfpa.org/en/publications/facing-challenge-adolescent-pregnancy-zimbabwe
The report listed the most cited reasons for first pregnancy among female adolescents age 15-19 years as: 48% unplanned, 45% wanted a child, 23% did not think they would fall pregnant, 19% early marriage, 10% did not know about condom use/contraceptives, and 8% sexual violence/abuse/rape.
“26% of girls aged between 10-14 years were not confident that they could refuse sex or being touched sexually if they did not want,” further stated the report.
“Early sexual debut and sexual abuse of female adolescents increase the girls’ risk to unintended pregnancies, HIV/STIs, and psycho-social challenges in their lives. 13% of female adolescents age 10-19 had a sexual encounter (ever had sex).”
The report also highlighted that 26% of all girls age 10-14 years were not confident that they could refuse sex or being touched sexually if they did not want.
