UN bemoans Zimbabwe’s high prevalence of teenage pregnancies

THE United Nations (UN) community in Zimbabwe has bemoaned the whopping scourge of teenage pregnancies in Zimbabwe which currently stands at 23% amid calls for tangible action to ease the tide.

In a statement published ahead of the International Day of the Girl 2026 on 11 October the UN – with technical leadership of the UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women -together with Plan International the UN community joined the Government of Zimbabwe, civil society organisations, communities, partners, and young people across the country in reaffirming the collective commitment to advancing the rights and well-being of girls.

The organ called for greater investment and accelerated action to ensure every girl can realise her rights and full potential. This year’s event will run under the global theme: “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls Rights.”

While it was recognised that Zimbabwe has made important progress in advancing the rights and well-being of girls, more is yet to be done to maximise the gains.

“Child marriage – any marriage or union involving a child under the age of 18 -remains one of the most pressing challenges affecting girls in Zimbabwe, with an estimated one in three girls married before the age of 18. Teenage pregnancy also continues to disrupt girls’ education and affect their health and wellbeing, with 23 per cent of girls aged 15–19 having begun childbearing.

“Behind these statistics are girls whose education is interrupted, whose health and wellbeing are put at risk, and whose opportunities to participate fully in society are constrained,” said the UN Resident Coordinator Ms Rosemary Kalapurakal.

The UN official said child marriage and teenage pregnancy violates girls’ rights to education, health, protection, body autonomy and participation and perpetuate cycles of poverty, inequality and exclusion, and increase girls’ vulnerability to violence and exploitation.

She underscored that when girls are married too early or face early pregnancies, communities lose future leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers.

“Ending child marriage and addressing teenage pregnancy are therefore not only moral imperatives, but also critical investments in Zimbabwe’s social and economic development. Accelerating efforts to end child marriage is critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.3, which calls for the elimination of all harmful practices, including child, early and forced marriage,” Kalapurakal said.

She noted that at the same time, there is need to collectively address the harmful social and gender norms that drive child marriage and teenage pregnancy and restrict opportunities for girls.

“Transformative change requires engaging parents and caregivers, traditional and religious leaders, boys and men, educators, communities, civil Society organisations, development partners, and the private sector. Initiatives such as the ‘Not-in-My -Village’ Campaign to End Adolescent Pregnancy, Not-In-My-School campaign and Prevention of Child Marriages and Child Labour initiative (PREaCH) demonstrate the importance of mobilising communities around these shared goals,” the UN official added.

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