Teenage Pregnancy in South Africa

On my ride to Khayelitsha the other day, I found myself tuned in to the morning news report, where teenage pregnancy was the topic.  The statistics were almost near unbelievable for 2010.  45,200 pregnancies and the girls' ages ranged from 9 to 16!  Pregnancy begins as early as the 3rd grade!  This means that a child could begin her menstrual cycle as early as 8 years of age.  2,200 of the pregnancies in South Africa were reported by small girls who were only 9 years old.  The reporter then goes on to say that majority of these girls were more than likely raped by a boyfriend,  family friend or an uncle. The lack of parental support is another major concern among these young girls.  Just as a point of reference, there were 410,000 births in the US to moms under the age of 18.  This is from a country who reported 308,000,000 in population in 2010 vs. a country who reported only 51 million in population the same year.  Regardless of what the statistics say, this is very disturbing.  I think back to my childhood and at the age of 12 I was just beginning to pack away Barbie and Ken.  Although I thought I was near grown and loved to baby sit and be independent, I could not fathom what motherhood would mean at such a young age.  Nor could I fathom being forced to have sex and loosing something so precious because no one was there to protect me.  A child is just that, a child!  It is up to us to protect them, and make wise choices that will in turn prevent harm from coming their way and to educate them as soon as possible so that they understand what's right and what's wrong.