Experts Raise Alarm Over Escalating Teen Pregnancy Crisis in Zimbabwe

Health experts and advocacy groups have sounded the alarm over rising cases of teenage pregnancies, early marriages and HIV infections among adolescents in Zimbabwe, calling for the urgent expansion of sexual and reproductive health services to protect vulnerable children and young people.

Speaking during a media workshop organised by Population Services Zimbabwe in Mutare, Advocacy Core Team coordinator Diana Mailosi warned that limited access to healthcare, information and protection services continues to expose many adolescents — particularly girls — to serious social and health risks.

Mailosi said poverty, child marriages and inadequate access to sexual and reproductive health information remain major drivers of teenage pregnancies and school drop-outs, undermining efforts to secure better futures for young people.

She stressed the need for stronger interventions aimed at improving access to youth-friendly healthcare services, education and protection mechanisms to help reduce the growing vulnerability of adolescents.

The concerns come amid troubling findings from the National Assessment of Adolescent Pregnancies in Zimbabwe, which revealed that girls aged between 15 and 19 accounted for 21 percent of antenatal bookings recorded between 2019 and 2022. The report also showed that more than 2,100 pregnancies involved girls aged between 10 and 14, highlighting the scale of the crisis facing communities across the country.

Health advocates warned that without urgent and coordinated action, the continued rise in adolescent pregnancies and related health challenges could have long-term consequences for education, health outcomes and national development.

Meanwhile, journalists attending the workshop were urged to report responsibly and sensitively on sexual and reproductive health issues in order to reduce stigma, encourage informed public dialogue and strengthen awareness around adolescent wellbeing.

Participants were told that accurate, ethical and solution-focused reporting can play a critical role in influencing public understanding and supporting efforts to protect children and adolescents from preventable risks.

By Witness A Phiri