Prevention of teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID-19 in Zambia : a study of Chama rural district.
Date
2021
Authors
KalumbaL, Lloyd
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
This study entitled: “Preventing Teenage Pregnancies in the Face of COVID-19 in Zambia” was conducted in the rural district of Chama in Eastern province. It aimed at exploring the strategies put in place by the Zambian government to prevent teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID–19. To achieve the objectives of this study, a non-experimental research design and phenomenology methods were used in order to have a complete and comprehensive examination of the situation of teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID -19 wave of attack in Zambia. The approach for obtain ing data adopted was the qualitative. The results generated were non-quantitative and so, it was not subjected to rigorous quantitative analysis. The population of the study included management and staffs from the DEBS Office, management and staff/school teachers from selected schools, management and staff from the MCDSS under the departments of Community Development as well as Social Welfare in Chama district, VSU, WVI, the United Church of Zambia, and the local traditional leadership within the two selected chiefdoms. Teenage girls and boys aged between thirteen and nineteen (13-19) and drawn from the respective secondary schools within the two
chiefdoms of Kambombo and Chikwa were also included as respondents. The study results confirmed that COVID-19 was driving many families into poverty, increasing risks that force children into child labour, teenage pregnancies and child marriages. It further revealed that lack of willingness by the Ministry of Health to acknowledge adolescents’ sexual health needs largely contributes to teenage pregnancies’ escalation. Contraceptives materials are not easily accessible to adolescents in many places of Chama District. In some few cases where adoles cents obtained contraceptives, the teenagers lacked the agency or the resources to pay for them. Yet again, the results revealed that during the lockdown, most teenagers in Chama lacked knowledge on where to obtain contraceptives and how to correctly use them. Further, teenagers faced stigma when trying to obtain contraceptives and were often at higher risk of discontinuing use due to perceived side effects, and due to changing life circumstances and reproductive intentions. Restrictive laws and policies regarding the provision of contraceptives based on age or marital status also posed an important barrier to the provision and uptake of contraceptives among teenagers in Chama District during the COVID-19 lockdown, all contributing to teenage pregnan cies escalation. The main strategies by government to prevent teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID –19 included the prevention of child labour and early marriages through the peer education for teenag ers in schools; provision of psychosocial counselling and support to teenagers; promotion of contraceptive materials and family planning services; prevention of coerced sexual relationships and promotion of child’s rights through activities conducted by peer educators on adolescents in schools. It was also established that the strategies put in place were not effective due to a number of factors including the hurdles faced in addressing the needs. On the other hand, the study has generally indicated that measures undertaken to tackle teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID – 19 were not effective due to school closures and travel re
strictions. Further, measures undertaken were not strictly tailored to address the specific teenage girls’ needs which arose during the lockdown and COVID –19 wave. This study recommends that in order to address the above highlighted impediments to preventing teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID – 19, the government of the Republic of Zambia puts in place practical measures through policy, legal frameworks, programmes and projects to enhance the livelihood potential of the incapacitated rural households of Chama District to fight the scourge of teenage pregnancies.
Description
Thesis of Master’s Degree in Social Work and Community Development