Bishop Rocky Moyo, the president of the Council of Churches in Africa, has urged the church, particularly traditional churches, to discuss s.e.x issues, rather than leave the youth and teenagers at the mercy of misleading information from the internet.
Moyo said newspapers are full of reports about teenage pregnancies and teenagers who have joined the s.e.x work industry, and this is partly attributable to the church’s failure to discuss s.e.x issues. Moyo said (via B-Metro):
I’m an avid newspaper reader, so I keep up to date with current affairs. One issue that has hit me hard is the issue of teenagers falling pregnant, after that, they stop coming to church and some adopt delinquent behaviours and join the s.e.x work industry.
In some cases, after the teen falls pregnant, she drops out of school. Some youths desert their families while some stop attending church services as they would be depressed and ashamed of being labelled all sorts of names.
Some of the church members are the reason behind the depression as they are quick to accuse the girl of being promiscuous, but they do not blame the boy who would have impregnated the girl.
Moyo said churches should have literature on s.e.x that is specifically tailored for teenagers as this will help them make informed decisions rather than letting them rely on internet information.
A Brethren in Christ Church (BICC) reverend who chose not to be named told B-Metro that the issue of s.e.x is rarely discussed at their church. Said the cleric:
At our church, the issue of s.e.x is rarely discussed and is discussed at Youth camps only and that is once or twice a year.
Sadly, some of the youths do not attend camps and they are left at the mercy of wrong information.
Meanwhile, Moyo said some churches find it difficult to discuss the issue as parents and their children would be in the same room.
Zimbabwe’s teenage pregnancy rate stands at approximately 22%, placing the country at position 28 out of 54 on UNICEF’s early childbearing list.
Teenage pregnancy has significant psycho-social, economic, development, and health costs.
