En Tanzania ¿Las adolescentes embarazadas deben regresar a la escuela?

Debate en la sociedad tanzana convoca al diseño de políticas de protección

Activistas de derechos humanos de las mujeres en Tanzania ejercen presión para que las adolescentes embarazas no sean expulsadas de las escuelas y su condición no sea un impedimento para culminar su proceso de formación. La presión hacia las autoridades supone además el establecimiento de nuevas políticas que obliguen también a los hombres a hacerse responsables frente a esta situación.

Girl student in Tanzania who are pregnant are expelled from school believing it is required by law. However, women’s rights campaigners are challenging the practice and also it seems soon the authorities would draw up a new policy to bring them back to schools after giving birth to child and to take action too against those men who are responsible in making under-age girls pregnant.

Campaigners are putting pressure on the new government to change the attitude towards pregnant students and ensure teenage pregnancy does not turn to be obstacle to girls’ access to education.

In the global data Tanzania has one of the highest adolescent pregnancies and it reveals one in every six girls get pregnant between the age group of 15 and 19.

For about past 50 years schools are practising compulsory pregnancy testing and expulsion of pregnant students as well in the country. Critics say this is in a bid to control the sexuality of adolescent girls and not equip them with tools to make informed decision about how and when to have sex.

Recently the practise has been much debated whether teenage moms to be allowed to return back to schools. Some say it will set a bad example to other students and others say men accused of making adolescent girls pregnant should be taught lesson.

According to the Sexual Offences Special Provisions Act of the country, having sex with minor is rape and 30 years imprisonment could be sentenced of the offender is convicted.

Tanzania/diciembre de 2015/autor: Paul Linus in Education National
Fuente: (24Tanzania.com)
Editora: Belén T. Orsini Pic Centro de Saberes Africanos (Venezuela) MSc. en Investigación Educativa y en Integración Regional Diseñadora de los Programas de formación de los Diplomados en Saberes Africanos y Estudios del Caribe Insular. Coordinadora del Diplomado en Estudios del Caribe Insular