Rutendo Chirume
There is an alarming rate of illegal abortions in Zimbabwe with a monthly-average of 6000 illegal abortions among adolescent girls, while 200 are at the risk of dying in the process every month, MyAge Zimbabwe Trust has revealed.
MyAge revealed this during the launch of Girls Choose, a project that seeks to build grassroots and gender sensitive Sexual Reproductive Health and HIV services strategies for youth in urban and rural communities, held at Civic Centre in Masvingo on March 12.
Girls Choose will facilitate easier access to SRH service through activities such as radio talk shows, outreach programmes, digital conversations, theatre acts and SRH tuckshops which will be placed at schools, shopping centers, hospitals and clinics.
My Age Executive Director Onward Gibson said the programme will assist to deal with adolescents issues in and out of school with statistics revealing that issues of illegal abortions and consequences of teenage engagement into sexual activities have become rampant.
“We intend to reach all the wards in Masvingo urban and rural because we have noted the high mortality rate among adolescents is a result of lack of knowledge by the youth and adolescents with 70 000 illegal abortions being performed by adolescents per year and about 6 000 being done each month which result in about 200 deaths per month due to illegal abortions. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among adolescents which is marked at five percent whereas 44 percent do not know their status. Therefore My Age’s Girls Choose programme will introduce measures and platforms which will help tackle these problems,” said Gibson.
He also said the purpose of the programme is to ensure thorough mobilizing, setting up and supporting existing structures for SRH and HIV/AIDS through different activities which will be sponsored by My Age Zimbabwe Trust.
“Girls Choose inception will ensure thorough mobilizing, and supporting of existing structures for sexual reproductive health among teenage people in Masvingo urban and rural. We will introduce desks of health personnel at schools, hospitals and clinics who will be offering free services of SHR and adolescents issues,” said Gibson.
In Zimbabwe, abortion is legally permitted under very limited circumstances that include if the pregnant person’s life is in danger, have been raped or incest has been committed.
It also applies if there is severe foetal impairment, which makes it extremely difficult to obtain a legal abortion.
