Hannah*, 16, from Makeni, dropped out of school when she became pregnant last year.
Source: Anna Jefferys/IRIN
In order to reduce teen pregnancy, officials in the Bombali district chiefdoms have passed traditional laws which decree that if a female student is impregnated by a male student, both parties must stop attending school. Teen pregnancy is one of the contributing reasons why there are small numbers of female students attending secondary school in Sierra Leone. According to the UNICEF’s 2009 State of the World’s Children Report, 17% of girls and 21% of boys attended secondary school between 2000-2007. Although no research has been conducted to determine the cause of the high percentages of teenage pregnancy, UNICEF speculates that it is a combination of voluntary sexual relations, early marriage, “transactional” sex with adults, and other forms of sexual abuse. UNICEF plans to begin research in upcoming months.
UNICEF has officially spoken out against the ban of pregnant girls and their student partners from school. As most young boys who come out of school begin to work in menial labor, or as taxi drivers, UNICEF suggests that there may be alternate solutions that allow both parties to continue to attend school. According to Bombali district’s Deputy Director of Education, Ramatu Kanu, “Girls top the primary school tests, but then they disappear out of secondary school. It is such a loss for the community.” According to Kanu, the social stigma related to girls who are pregnant and unmarried leads to a greater rate of marriage among teenage girls - lessening the importance of school.
In Makeni, the capital of the Bombali district, several male and female students have joined a club called “Girls Tell Us”. The members of the club come together frequently to talk about such pertinent issues as teen pregnancy. So far, the club has helped three female students return to school. Club members told IRIN that they are starting to see a shift in attitudes, especially among young boys. Amadfona, a male member of the club, says, “We spread the message: if you impregnate a girl, it will affect you, too.” (full story)
* not real name
