Govt aims to halve teen pregnancies by 2029

DODOMA: IN a renewed effort to tackle teenage pregnancies, the government is implementing the National Action Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children (2024/2025– 2028/2029), which includes a key goal of reducing teenage pregnancies by 50 per cent by the year 2029.

Deputy Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Mwanaidi Khamis, announced this in the National Assembly, saying that the plan also involves the establishment of child protection and safety desks in both primary and secondary schools nationwide.

“The government reminds parents and guardians of their fundamental duty to raise, guide and protect children,” she said.

“We have also amended education and child protection laws to impose stiffer penalties on individuals responsible for impregnating minors, as well as on parents who neglect their parental responsibilities.”

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Deputy Minister Khamis made the remarks while responding to a question from Special Seats MP Mwantum Dau Haji (CCM), who asked about the government’s strategies to curb the rising cases of teenage pregnancies.

She acknowledged that contributing factors include limited access to reproductive health education and inadequate parental guidance.

The government, she said, is committed to addressing both through community awareness programmes and legal reforms aimed at protecting children from abuse and exploitation.