Policy to reintegrate adolescent mothers a step in the right direction – RCC activist

Jul 05, 2018 News

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– Strategy integral to addressing issue of school dropouts
While the stigma attached to teenage pregnancy cannot be ignored, child rights organizations and activists have been pushing for policies that will help adolescent mothers pursue and secure better futures.
In this regard, the national reintegration policy designed by the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) with the help of Ministry of Education, is being lauded.
The programme is specifically designed to target girls between the ages of 12 and 18 with the aim of ensuring that they continue their regular schooling even after conception.
Commenting on the issue in her capacity as a Commissioner on the Women and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC) and the Rights of the Child Commission, (RCC), activist Nicole Cole noted that the reintegration policy is a positive step towards addressing the needs of teenagers, who are forced to drop out of school due to pregnancy.
Cole, who was once a teen mom herself, knows all too well, the value of an education even after being saddled with the responsibility of raising a child at a young age.
She emphasized the need for the mandatory reintegration policy for adolescent mothers.
“Many clinical studies have shown that without a second chance to return to school and pursue an education, many of these teenage mothers will slip into poverty and abuse, whereby the very children they give birth to will continue the cycle of teenage pregnancies,” Cole, who is also Clinical Social Worker, added.
In addition to the policy, Cole said that the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Bill that is to be laid in the National Assembly will further shape the reintegration policy.
The legislation will occasion a rights-based approach that focuses on teenage mothers being allowed the opportunity to return to the classroom after gestation in pursuit of an education which will equip them with the necessary skills to be engaged in ‘decent work.’
Additionally, Cole stressed that ensuring teenage mothers are fully aware of the consequences when they become pregnant, is equally as important as guaranteeing that they get adequate school.
The RCC Commissioner noted that this is important because the bodies of teenagers aren’t sufficiently developed and this can lead to babies being born with low birth weight, premature births, and in the worst case scenario death, hence all teenage pregnancies are deemed ‘high risk’ and are usually monitored by the Adolescent Health Unit of the GPHC.
Shedding light on other social problems associated with teenage pregnancies, Cole noted that the issue is compounded by the fact that many teens are victims of rape.
She noted that in many cases teens are violated by persons in a position of trust such as their fathers, stepfathers, brothers, uncles and even men of the cloth.
“These (acts) go unpunished largely because rape is a grey area of crime whereby they are (at times) not even reported to the police,” she said.
According to the Child’s rights activist, there are reports of the Suddie Hospital recording an alarming number of underage pregnancies that were not reported to the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) in a timely manner.
“For this year alone, there are 60-plus recorded Teenage Pregnancies at the Sophia Health Centre, and Grove has already recorded 30-plus Teenage Pregnancies for 2018.
However, the new Sexual Offences Court appears to be expeditiously prosecuting the paedophiles who rape these children, an act that is a violation of Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, (UNCRC),” Cole added
The policy to reintegrate teenage mothers into the school system was recently highlighted at Regional Education Officers’ retreat.
During the retreat, Youth and Adolescent Development Officer attached to the United Nations Children Fund [UNICEF], Jewel Crosse, apprised Regional educators about the importance of the implementation of a policy.
Crosse stressed that the draft policy is essentially geared towards the prevention of adolescent pregnancy, treating with pregnant adolescents, and administering the re-integration process of adolescent mothers into the formal school system.
She noted that addressing the issue of adolescent pregnancy requires a multi-agency approach that would include a number of government Ministries such as Education, Public Health, Public Security and Social Protection, among others.
Among the issues discussed were the steps which can be taken when treating with cases of pregnant adolescents.
Some of the steps that were highlighted include a psycho-social intervention with the child and involving parents or guardians in the process to chart a course forward.
Crosse noted that the programme is not limited to female students, but steps are to be taken with the father of a child, once he is a student as well.
According to Crosse, counselling and support have been identified as a service that should be provided to all parties involved.
Meanwhile, Health and Family Life Education coordinator, Colleen King-Cameron, highlighted some of the measures that are necessary for the successful implementation of the draft policy. Some of these measures include providing a supportive environment that ensures teachers, students and general school staffs are sensitized to the needs of the adolescent child and advocacy on the right to and benefits of education.

 

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