By By Hellen Mutizamhepo
THE acute water crisis in peri-urban areas has triggered a rise in unwanted teenage pregnancies.
Investigations by this reporter has established that most teenage pregnancies in peri-urban areas like Domboshava, Seke,Mayambara and Beatrice were a result of sexual relationship that blossomed at boreholes.
This has given rise to a coin name ‘borehole pregnancy’ by people living in these areas.
This owes to the lengthy hours the girls spend in long winding queues and end up engaging in sexual activities with men who deliberately take advantage and prey on them.
An elderly woman who identified herself as Ashley Madani in Mayambara area near Chitungwiza explained the situation that the young girls are exposed to.
“What happens is that the teenage girls spend over six hours at the nearby borehole in the queue and my fears were confirmed when I found out that one of my nieces engaging in sex and she confessed that she was already pregnant when I sent her to the borehole, kuno vakutoti rudo rwepachibhoorani (they now call it borehole love,” she said.
She further revealed that the concerns were taken up to the village head by a group of agitated women and they are awaiting his response.
Madani narrated how young women wake up as 3am daily to fetch water from one community borehole that services a densely populated area.
She said she has since restricted her children from going to the borehole.
In Domboshava media reports of teenage pregnancies are also rife especially around the Chinhamora area where the reporter visited in May.
Recent statistics released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) indicate that over 21% of girls aged between 15 and 19 get pregnant under harsh conditions and push factors.
The report noted that the trend was problematic as it caused school drop outs, while some faced complications during birth.
Mashonaland Central recorded the highest rate of teen pregnancies with one in every three girls likely to become pregnant.
A sociologist Maxwell Bake who spoke to this reporter said besides the water crisis there has always been a high prevalence rate of teen pregnancies in rural and peri-urban areas.
“We did a qualitative research with the organisation I work for, and findings revealed that some of the factors contributing to teenage pregnancies in rural communities of Zimbabwe is socioeconomic background, peer influence, lack of sex education, non-use of contraceptives, traditional roles, low self-esteem and low level of education,” said Bake.
He said there is need for empowerment of teenagers in the Peri urban communities and sexual health reproductive education on teenagers in rural communities of Zimbabwe.
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