Gov’t urged to discourage teen pregnancy

Draft a law that punishes people who engage young girls in pre-marital sex, a lecturer at the University of Juba has urged the government.

Tasaada Joseph Awad, a lecturer in the College of Community Studies and Rural Development says many young girls are getting pregnant at early age.

In 2013, health minister said South Sudan had one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy in the world.

Poverty, gender inequality, violence, childhood forced marriage and the power imbalance between girls and their sexual partners, and lack of education all combine to create a climate where adolescent pregnancy is a reality for many of the country’s girls, officials said.

She said government should punish those impregnating young girls.

“There should be laws and orders for anyone who impregnates girls below eighteen years, which is underage. There should be a punishment for those people who impregnate young girls,” Ms Awad told Eye Radio’s Dawn Show.

“So, you can’t damage young girls and that can have its effects on the girls and girls can’t contribute to development of the nation.”

Ms Awad said parents should monitor their children when they go out with their colleagues and friends to spot and advice against bad behaviors.

She said sex education must be included in the education curriculum to help in reducing cases of early pregnancy.