•The investigation, prosecution and punishment mechanism must not only be only coordinated but more importantly sustained to deal with the menace.
•In addition to enhancing punishment mechanisms, the need for special courts or mechanisms to prioritize up the handling of such cases is urgent.
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The disrupted school calendar, prolonged stay at home and challenges related to income will see the back to school program highly affected.
While in the country policy is not extremely bad and the political will to allow and support school going children who have conceived accommodated back into the education system, some resultant factors including stigma, ridicule, cost of maintaining upkeep, diseases among others that make the reintegration a big challenge.
Again, even as the law is clear on dealing with such cases, culture and love issues tend to frustrate the re integration to school process for such children who end up in early marriage that rarely last for long.
There is need for a pro active and sustained intervention to protect the girl child against people who take advantage of their situation to misuse their youth, exploit juvenile hearts, poor souls stuck in poverty that is beyond their control, or in extreme cases commit criminal offences of sexually harassing children or raping such innocent souls.
The investigation, prosecution and punishment mechanism must not only be only coordinated but more importantly sustained to deal with the menace. In addition to enhancing punishment mechanisms, the need for special courts or mechanisms to prioritize up the handling of such cases is urgent.
Plan International notes that adolescent pregnancy remains a major contributor to maternal and child mortality.
Complications relating to pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19 globally. Pregnant girls and adolescents also face other health risks and complications due to their immature bodies. Babies born to younger mothers are also at greater risk. Adolescent pregnancy can also have negative social and economic effects on girls, their families and communities.
Unmarried pregnant adolescents may face stigma or rejection by parents and peers as well as threats of violence. Girls who become pregnant before age 18 are also more likely to experience violence within a marriage or partnership.
Voice for Girls and Women's Rights project manager Sammy Muraya notes that mechanisms must be put in place urgently to ensure such children that have been victims of early and teenage pregnancy are returned and supported to stay in school. The late President John Magufuli of Tanzania had opposed the return of such children to school. To only depend on political good will without firm laws and policies that obligates duty bearers or those responsible to support the return to school approach will see the rights of these children violated.
Some pupils, have been exposed to using family planning devices at very early ages, as a way for avoiding getting pregnant, which like some cases because of side effects of the devices experience their monthly cycles thrice in a month, which has implication on their budget for sanitary and other healthy living demands
“The teen mothers will require support and care for their children, parental support and mental and social support to cope, with the condition that they have gone through, while tough and practical measures are pursued to ensure that the perpetrators are held to account” Muraya notes.
A national conversation is required to elevate the attention that is required at the county level to dealing with the teen pregnancy menace, as its destroying the lives of the girl child. The teen pregnancy problem has a very serious gender dimension that is frustrating even other national affirmative action interventions and laws in the country.