Child+Teen Pregnancy Crisis with Cassandra Dorasamy from Amnesty International

South Africa is facing high amounts of child and teenage pregnancies where over 105,000 girls between 10 and 19 have given birth between April 2022 and March 2023, within a year. The number over the years continues to rise. This can often lead to young girls dropping out of school and being affected by factors such as gender inequality and insufficient access to comprehensive sexual education.

Amnesty International wants the government to take action. They have begun a #ScanTheScar campaign that brings these stories to life. They have partnered with Joe Public, with the support of Children of Success and Women and Men Against Child Abuse, to present a Spotify playlist featuring poems from people sharing their experiences with child and teenage pregnancy. They want to bring awareness and work towards every girl/child having a chance at a brighter future. We will be speaking to Cassandra Dorasamy, spokesperson from Amnesty International South Africa. 

We asked them about what is the severity of this crisis, what is the government being asked to do exactly, how do factors such as gender-based violence affect this issue, and what do the solutions look like. Cassandra explained that Amnesty has previously campaigned this issue in 2021. She shared that the age of consent in SA is 12 and therefore children birthing between ages 10-12 should be prosecuted. Amnesty wants the government to stop creating an enabling environment. They want accountability to be taken on and an improved criminal justice system.

You can listen to the Spotify clips and learn more about Amnesty International South Africa's campaign here. https://amnesty.org.za/campaigns-page/child-and-teenage-pregnancy-page/.

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