Unicef director meets Speaker

Senior Reporter

A SURVEY on the prevalence of teenage pregnancies in Zimbabwe has been completed by Government in partnership with Unicef and a report, and a range of solutions, will be published soon, Unicef resident representative, Dr Tajudeen Oyewale, said yesterday.

After calling on the Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda in Harare, Dr Oyewale also said he had congratulated the Speaker on the election of the 10th Parliament and also reflected on the progress made in addressing children’s issues during the tenure of the 9th Parliament that include an increase in social sector budget allocations which benefit them.

“Secondly, it’s the different legislative reforms and Bills that Parliament has passed that we are appreciative of because they improve the social protection, the child protection and the legal framework for children in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“But beyond that, the Speaker did highlight two issues that he would want the UN and Unicef to do more on.

“The first is on adolescent pregnancy. You will agree with me that the rate of adolescent pregnancy after Covid-19 is of concern to us in Zimbabwe and I am pleased to say that the UN together with the Ministries of Health and Child Care and of Primary and Secondary Education have completed a survey on teenage pregnancy.

“We will be releasing that report soon and that will be the opening to different actions that will be taken to address this issue.”

The outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020 resulted in the implementation of lockdowns that also resulted in schools’ closures which, observers attributed as a factor in the rise in teenage pregnancies.

“The second issue the Honourable Speaker raised is the surge in drugs and substance abuse and this is coming to destroy the future generation of this country like any other country. As Unicef, we have just completed a desk review of the drivers of drugs and substance abuse in the country and just last week we worked with the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to put in a national plan to respond to this.

“It is our commitment to ensure that we make investment in those two areas for adolescents’ pregnancy response but also prevention of substance and drug abuse and response because these are really delicate issues that are threatening to erode the progress made for children and young people,” Dr Oyewale said.