SCHOOLGIRLS as young as 11 years of age are willfully having sex with older men just to provide food on the table.
The alarming phenomenon, known as the ‘Sugar Daddy Syndrome’, has seen more young girls in Zululand being lured and impregnated by successful men sporting flashy cars and expensive gadgets.
A local healthcare worker told the Zululand Observer on Friday high teenage pregnancy numbers were largely attributed to ‘sugar daddies’ working in cities, including Richards Bay.
‘These men give them extra cash, pick them up after school and provide for their families. In some instances, families encourage the girls to find sugar daddies to keep the household afloat. This month alone we have already seen pregnant pupils who enrolled at schools,’ said the rural-based health professional.
Each year, thousands of pregnant schoolgirls exit the education system before completing matric and 2013 was no different. The KZN Department of Education announced last week it had launched an investigation into why 3 000 registered matric girl candidates failed to write their exams last year.
HIV
Democratic Alliance Youth Leader, Mbali Ntuli, said one in four high school girls were contracting HIV through relationships with sugar daddies.
‘Two Grade 10 girls needed money for taxi fare recently and gave in to sugar daddies. This troubles me as a woman in KZN. When youngsters under 16 are targeted by sugar daddies, this is paedophilia,’ Ntuli told the Zululand Observer.
‘We believe the youth need to talk about how both young girls and guys are being sexually abused by older members of society through transactional sex. Ben10s refer to young boys who are enticed by older women boasting financial security and used for sexual favours. The phenomena of sugar daddies and Ben10s represent a myriad of issues the youth are facing today and therefore we are hosting Youth Speak Out Sessions throughout the country to address these challenges.’
Drop
The uThungulu District, which in 2011 had one of the highest teenage pregnancy occurances in the country, said figures had ‘dropped considerably’ over the past two years as a result of proactive campaigns.
‘In 2011, we noted an increase of pupils being impregnated by older men,’ said uThungulu Education District Director, David Chonco.
‘We visited different municipalities targeting parents, teachers and pupils. The support of parents, the business sector and community is essential to ensure there is discipline and awareness. With the help of police, we no longer see truancy and pupils disappearing into bushes or loitering in towns. Parents are responsible for the discipline of their child.’
