Underage sex, teen pregnancies reach alarming levels

LUSAKA District Commissioner Davison Mulenga has bemoaned the high levels of underage pregnancies and illicit sexual activities among young people in Zambia.
Mr Mulenga said  underage sex and teenage pregnancies had reached alarming levels and if left unchecked would bring about serious economic problems in the country.
To this effect his office was working with other stakeholders like the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to counter the scourge and manage the problem before it degenerated into a crisis.
Mr Mulenga said his office and the District Health Management Team were working closely with private entities like the Southern Aids Trust (SAT) which sensitised the youth on the dangers of HIV/AIDS, early pregnancies and illegal abortions.

He said SAT was collaborating with other CSOs on safe reproductive health and sensitising the youth on the dangers of the deadly HIV/AIDS pandemic.
“My office is closely working with an organisation called Southern Aids Trust which concentrates on underage pregnancies and sensitising the youth on illicit sexual behaviour and the need to prevent HIV/AIDS,” Mr Mulenga said.
He said CSOs were key players in reducing underage pregnancies and reducing the numbers of illicit underage sex through safe reproductive health lessons and encouraging them to abstain before marriage.
Mr Mulenga said many workshops and conferences were being conducted with the stakeholders and affected target groups to bring about lasting solutions.
“Civil societies are key players in reducing this scourge because they teach young people on the importance of safe reproductive health and techniques that reduce the HIV pandemic,” he said.
Mr Mulenga said the Government alone could not bring about development without the assistance of foreign and local stakeholders who were cardinal in stirring both the economy and improving the health sector in Zambia.
By ADRIAN MWANZA – TIMES