The Family Aids Caring Trust (FACT) claimed in its latest report that Zimbabwe has witnessed a surge in cases of child pregnancies with statistics between September 2021 and August 2022 indicating that over 20,000 pupils at primary and secondary schools dropped out of school after falling pregnant.
CRISIS Coalition in Zimbabwe (CiZC) has expressed concern over increasing cases of pregnancies among schoolgirls.
Contacted for comment, Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson, Taungana Ndoro, however, said: “Surely, the author of such a preposterous report must be battling with acute testosterone issues.
“Common sense should prevail when wispy imaginations claim that 55 pupils in our schools were impregnated every single day from September 2021 to August 2022.”
CiZC said: “We reiterate the need for a robust and collective approach, which requires unity of purpose among different stakeholders in creating safe spaces and equal opportunities for women and girls.”
Child rights lawyer and one of the founders of Justice for Children Trust Caleb Mutandwa said there was need for multiple strategies which complement each other to prevent child pregnancies by educating children on the dangers of sexual relations.
“We need to address factors which hinder girls’ education, including poverty. Children must not be forced by their circumstances to see marriage as an option or escape route,” said Mutandwa.
 claimed in its latest report that Zimbabwe has witnessed a surge in cases of child pregnancies with statistics between September 2021 and August 2022 indicating that over 20,000 pupils at primary and secondary schools dropped out of school after falling pregnant.){kind=link}