Young people in Mokhotlong are calling for urgent interventions to address early and unintended pregnancies, child marriage, and school dropouts, issues they say are rooted in poverty, abuse, and a lack of access to essential health services and life skills education.
Their demands were the central focus of a recent youth dialogue held to commemorate World Population Day under the theme: “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world.”
The participants painted a grim picture of life in their rural, mountainous communities, where young girls, some as young as 12, are married off or engage in unsafe sexual relationships with older men for survival, often resulting in unintended pregnancies.
Boys, too, are vulnerable in these environments, facing high risks in the absence of protective structures.
During the dialogue, youth called on the Ministry of Education to strengthen the teaching of Life Skills in schools, stressing that it must be treated as a core subject, not an afterthought.
They also urged the Ministry of Health to consider deploying mobile clinics to schools to provide youth-friendly services such as HIV testing, counselling, and access to contraceptives without judgment.
The call for mobile health services comes as Mokhotlong, home to nearly 100,000 people, relies on just one hospital and a handful of clinics, many of which are difficult to reach due to the district’s rugged terrain.
Youth participants also appealed to the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) to engage communities through proactive crime prevention and education, rather than only responding during arrests.
Another plea was directed at parents, urging them to stop withdrawing children from school for domestic work or arranged marriages. The youth reaffirmed their right to education, emphasising that early marriage and child labour deprive them of a better future.
Research presented during the event by Mokone Mokokoane from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning revealed that Mokhotlong has one of the highest rates of early and unintended pregnancies in Lesotho, one of the reasons the district was selected to host this year’s World Population Day commemoration.
The initiative is part of efforts to implement the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP II) and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Speaking at the event, Dr. Mosa Tlahali, the District Medical Officer, urged traditional leaders, parents, and communities to respect and protect the reproductive rights of young people.
Innocent Modisaotsile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative to Lesotho, echoed this message, stating that this year’s theme reflects UNFPA’s commitment to empowering young people to make informed decisions about their bodies and futures.
As part of the commemoration, UNFPA facilitated a three-day training session on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) for adolescents in Mokhotlong. The sessions covered critical topics such as sexual and reproductive health, HIV prevention, and young people’s rights.
One participant, Lemema Lebajoa, expressed concern about the high number of teenage pregnancies in his village, linking them to poverty and unequal power dynamics with older men.
Lebajoa pledged to challenge myths he had once believed, including the misconception that circumcision prevents HIV.
Another participant, Pulane Mothebesoane, shared her personal story of falling pregnant at 16. She stressed the need for access to accurate information and the courage to say no to unsafe sex. “We must choose education over child marriage,” Mothebesoane said.
UNFPA National Program Analyst, ‘Maseretse Ratia, said the training was designed to empower adolescents with accurate knowledge and awareness of available services.
Ratia confirmed that young participants shared real-life experiences of abuse and early childbearing, stories that aligned with national data.
According to the latest reports by UNFPA, the situation facing young people in Lesotho is deeply concerning. Thirteen percent of youth aged 15 to 24 had their first sexual experience before the age of 15, an alarming trend driven by limited sexuality education, entrenched cultural norms, and frequent shortages of contraceptives.
Among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19, 17 percent have already begun childbearing, with 19 percent of these pregnancies classified as unintended.
Child marriage remains a pressing issue, affecting 19 percent of girls in the country, while adolescents and young people account for a staggering 35.4 percent of all new HIV infections.
Equally troubling is the prevalence of gender-based violence, with 48 percent of adolescent girls and young women reporting having experienced some form of abuse.
The consequences of these challenges are reflected starkly in education statistics. Thirty-seven percent of school dropouts are linked to early pregnancy and child marriage, with 14.9 percent attributed specifically to unintended pregnancies.
In addition, 22 percent of girls are forced to miss school because they lack access to menstrual hygiene products, an often overlooked but critical barrier to education.
Summary
- Young people in Mokhotlong are calling for urgent interventions to address early and unintended pregnancies, child marriage, and school dropouts, issues they say are rooted in poverty, abuse, and a lack of access to essential health services and life skills education.
- During the dialogue, youth called on the Ministry of Education to strengthen the teaching of Life Skills in schools, stressing that it must be treated as a core subject, not an afterthought.
- Research presented during the event by Mokone Mokokoane from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning revealed that Mokhotlong has one of the highest rates of early and unintended pregnancies in Lesotho, one of the reasons the district was selected to host this year’s World Population Day commemoration.
Ntsoaki Motaung is an award-winning health journalist from Lesotho, specializing in community health stories with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as HIV. She has contributed to platforms like “Be in the KNOW,” highlighting issues such as the exclusion of people with disabilities from HIV prevention efforts in Lesotho.
In addition to her journalism, Ntsoaki serves as the Country Coordinator for the Regional Media Action Plan Support Network (REMAPSEN). She is also a 2023 CPHIA Journalism Fellow.
