In South Africa, girls as young as 10 are singing lullabies to babies they were never old enough to have. In 2024, 2,103 girls aged 10 to 14 gave birth.
Child and teenage pregnancy in South Africa has been a documented emergency for years, over twice the rate of other upper-middle income countries. Between 2022 and 2025, there were 12,563 births to girls aged 10-14 in public health facilities. This is a systemic failure; of education policy, health services, child protection, and the criminal justice response to gender-based violence.
Crisis in numbers
2,103
Girls aged 10–14 gave birth in 2024
96,248
Girls aged 15–19 gave birth in 2024
120,785
Total girls aged 15–19 incl. late registrations
On 2 January 2026, the Health Ministry announced that more than 160 teenage girls had given birth on New Year’s Day, compared to 80 the previous year.
Most of these girls are forced to drop out of school or fall behind with their schoolwork. They become trapped in a cycle of poverty, leaving them dependent on public assistance, suffering the stigma of being pregnant and giving birth at a young age, or being forced into early marriages.
This is an issue that needs to be addressed by society and the government, but ultimately the state has a responsibility to create an enabling environment for every person to make autonomous and informed decisions.
TWEET TO TARGET
Post this tweet and tag @GovernmentZA
96,248 girls aged 15-19 gave birth in SA in 2024. @GovernmentZA every number is a girl failed by a system meant to protect her.
Content Warning: Some of the stories in this campaign contain themes of sexual violence and gender-based violence.
Three Films · Three Languages · One Crisis
Their voices, their truth
A lullaby passes from mother to child. It carries language, memory, and love across generations. But with the rate of child and teenage pregnancy, these lullabies are being passed down far earlier than they should be.
Amnesty International South Africa, in collaboration with Joe Public, presents Lullaby. Three short films, each featuring a young girl singing a lullaby in her own language.
These videos shine a light on the harsh realities of child and teenage pregnancy in South Africa, while highlighting the hope, support, and opportunities that can help change the futures of young girls.
Through intimate storytelling and a caring lens, this campaign calls on all of us to recognise the ripple effects of this crisis and to champion the right to education, health, and a life of dignity for every girl.
When we protect her rights, we protect her future.
ISIZULU
Thula Baba | Hush baby
ENGLISH
Rockabye Baby
Afrikaans
Slaap, My Kindjie, Slaap Sag | Sleep, My Child, Sleep Soft
SCARRED
In 2024, Amnesty International South Africa in collaboration with Joe Public and supported by Children of Success and Women & Men Against Child Abuse released a Spotify playlist featuring poems from three girls who openly share their personal experiences with child and teenage pregnancy. Both the films and the poems are windows into a world that too many girls in South Africa have to live in.
HEAR THEIR STORIES
Please note names have been changed for privacy reasons.
ZAMA'S STORY
CHARMAINE'S STORY
AMY'S STORY
WHY THIS HAPPENS
THE ROOT CAUSES
Three main drivers — click the dropdown arrow to expand each
01
Lack of information on sexual and reproductive health rights
02
Gender-based violence
03
Poverty, lack of education and employment opportunities
KNOW THE LAW
What South African law says
under 12 years
Sexual intercourse is always rape. There is no capacity to consent at this age, regardless of what the child says or does.
Ages 12–15
Consensual sexual activity may occur between two children both aged 12–15. Any adult involved is committing statutory rape.
Ages 16–17
May have consensual sex only with a person no more than two years younger. A greater age gap means the older party is guilty of statutory rape.
Your obligation
Where pregnancy results from rape or statutory rape, cases must be reported to South African Police Service (SAPS). Health workers and educators have mandatory reporting obligations. The criminal justice system, including the SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority, must respond in a timeous, efficient and effective manner to these cases.
TWEET THE PRESIDENT
In 2024, 2,103 girls aged 10 to 14 gave birth. Sexual intercourse with a child below 12 is rape, they can’t consent. @GovernmentZA gender-based violence must be tackled as one of the root causes of early pregnancy. #TooYoungToSing
under 12 years
Not privileges - rights
Sexual & reproductive rights every South African is entitled to
Ages 12–15
— Access accurate, age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health information
— Decide if, when, and whether to have children
— Receive youth-friendly health services that respect confidentiality
— Continue education during and after pregnancy, free from stigma
Ages 16–17
— Access contraception and abortion services
— Access emergency contraception without parental consent
— Be protected from sexual violence with effective prosecution
— Choose if, when, and who to marry, without coercion
