Amnesty International shines the light on SA’s teenage pregnancy crisis

In efforts to magnify the continuous crisis that is child and teenage pregnancy in South Africa, Amnesty International South Africa has launched a #ScanTheScar campaign.

The organisation is working with Spotify and a magazine group in their hopes to reach a wider audience.

Child and teenage pregnancy continues to scourge the country and remain a concerning health and social problem in South Africa.

Not only does teenage pregnancy pose a health risk to both mother and child, but it also has a ripple effect such as continuing the cycle of poverty, including early school dropout by the pregnant child or teenager.

According to Stats SA over 105,000 girls between 10 and 19years gave birth between April 2022 and March 2023. This is a staggering number that requires serious action from the government and the people of South Africa.

“While some steps to develop policy have been taken and additional interventions announced, more must be done. It is a social, health and economic issue affecting our most precious resource: our children,” said Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director, Shenilla Mohamed.

To highlight the crisis and raise awareness, Amnesty International SA created an image of a caesarean scar on a young girl’s stomach embedded with a Spotify code.

When scanned, the code directs readers to a Spotify playlist named “scarred” featuring real stories of child and teenage pregnancies, collected with the assistance of Children of Success as well as Women & Men Against Child Abuse.

The call is for the public to amplify the cries and raise awareness which ultimately makes the government take significant action towards addressing the high levels of child and teenage pregnancy.

“The state has a responsibility to create an enabling environment for these young and adolescent girls so that they do not fall through the cracks,” said Mohamed.