Thread by @lilomatic

1/ Leaving pregnant girls & adolescent mothers behind is harmful to the continent’s development. Leaving no one behind means that African governments should recommit to their inclusive development goals and human rights obligations toward all children.

2/ African governments should ensure they adopt human rights compliant policies at national & local levels to protect pregnant & adolescent mothers’ right to education. Early and unintended pregnancies jeopardize educational attainment for thousands of girls. #TogetherWeCan

3/ For this reason, governments need to prevent them by ensuring that their educational institutions provide knowledge, information, and skills, so that pregnant girls and adolescent mothers can enjoy their right to continue their education.

4/ I would like to applaud the Zimbabwe government for adopting laws & policies that protect adolescent girls’ right to stay in school during pregnancy & motherhood. Now we need seriousness in eradicating poverty in Zimbabwe & creating a conducive environment for wealth creation.

5/ Some governments have focused on tackling barriers to girl child education as well as the root causes of teenage pregnancies & school dropouts by:

Providing social and financial support for adolescent mothers, as in South Africa;

6/ Removing primary and secondary school fees to ensure all students can access school equally, and targeting financial support for girls at risk of dropping out through girls’ education strategies, as in Rwanda;

7/ Providing special accommodations for young mothers at school, for instance time for breast-feeding or time off when babies are ill or to attend health clinics, as in Cape Verde and Senegal;

8/ Establishing nurseries or early childhood centers close to schools, as in Gabon;

Providing school-based counselling services for pregnant girls and adolescent mothers, as in Malawi;