Pregnant at 14: Girl sought 'solution' to stop begging for pads
Teen pregnancy. Underprivileged families find it difficult to buy menstrual hygiene products for their daughters. This leaves them vulnerable to sex pests.
What you need to know:
- To buy or not to buy menstrual products is one dilemma that many parents with adolescent girls in slums have to contend with on a monthly basis.
- For others, it is almost certain that the commodity is not considered a basic need.
The high cost of living in the country has continued to take a heavy toll on women and adolescent girls, who are now struggling to afford a packet of sanitary towels.
To buy or not to buy the menstrual hygiene products is one dilemma that many parents with adolescent girls in slums grapple with on a monthly basis. For others, it is almost certain that the commodity is not considered a basic need.
Until two months ago, Anne* would request a packet of sanitary towels from a neighbour anytime her 14-year-old daughter had her periods. Anne, who hails from Kisumu County, explains that her daughter disliked the idea of getting help from neighbours.
But last month, she got worried after several days passed without the young girl asking her for pads.
“The last time she asked me for pads was in July. Since then, she has remained silent while avoiding certain foods,” says Anne.
She reveals that her worst fears were confirmed when she visited a local health facility with her daughter. After a series of tests, the health workers confirmed that the 14-year-old was pregnant.
The girl later revealed that a male friend had offered her money to buy sanitary pads. She said acquiring the pads would help her spare herself the embarrassment of seeing her mother go to their neighbour for help.
Income
Anne, who relies on menial jobs to provide for her family, says the little she earns is never enough to purchase sanitary towels whose price has kept increasing. She explains that on a good day, she can earn a maximum of Sh100. And on other days, she goes back home with nothing.
“As a mother, at the end of the day, it is up to me to decide to either buy food or have the children go to bed on an empty stomach just so their sister has a packet of sanitary towels,” she says.
Anne says a single packet of sanitary towels costs Sh70, up from Sh50. And with the harsh economic times, she cannot afford the commodity. Her daughter last received the commodity in school early this year. These were donations by the Kenya Red Cross.
It is for this reason that Anne would opt to beg for a few pieces from her neighbour, a decision her daughter never took lightly. Anne now says rising teenage pregnancies are partly due to period poverty.
“She (my daughter) would complain of embarrassment, but owing to my financial constraints, that was the only option I had,” she says.
But Anne is not the only parent finding herself at a crossroads.
At one of the primary schools in Kisumu, a headteacher admits that the pads supplied to the school are never enough to cater for all girls. The teacher, who sought anonymity, claims that they are constantly looking for donations from willing organisations to ensure their girls remain in school.
“Most of the girls also end up sharing the little supply we give them with their parents or siblings,” she says.
She, however, adds that unlike other schools, they have a constant supply of the menstrual products, thanks to a good relationship with a number of non-governmental organisations.
The increase in the cost of the commodity has now left activists worried that the gains made in fighting teenage pregnancies could be rolled back.
According to Brian Jobita, Madiaba community-based organisation founder in Nyalenda, Kisumu, one of the causes of teen pregnancies in informal settlements has always been lack of sanitary towels.
He explains that poverty levels in the slums are high, with most families unable to afford a proper meal. Mr Jobita says some parents also fear reaching out for help.
“The young vulnerable girls are in turn left at the mercy of men who easily take advantage of their innocence in exchange for the commodity.”
Julius Omuga, the coordinator at Homa Bay County Education Network and a member of Elimu Yetu, says although the government has been working on providing free pads to schoolgirls, the programme has not been effective.
He expresses concern that pads are only given at the beginning of the year to sustain girls for the next 12 months, forcing parents, most of whom can't afford the pads, to intervene.
“We have been approaching different organisations for support. During the third term, however, they are barred from visiting schools until January,” Mr Omuga says.
Mr Jobita suggests that the government should put the commodities in dispensers within public places to ease access.
A recent report on menstrual hygiene revealed that 65 per cent of women and girls in Kenya cannot afford sanitary pads. Another report by Unesco also found that one in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa miss school during their menstrual cycle.
Easter Okech, the executive director and programmes coordinator at Kenya Female Advisory Organisation, says a number of underprivileged girls may end up using unhygienic alternatives, risking their lives.
“The implementation of the Finance Act, 2023, has had a lot of impact on consumer prices of most basic commodities and the purchasing power of low-class households.
“While we want to keep the girls in school, dignity is one major factor to consider. The girls need basic sanitary materials, including pads and nice panties,” says Ms Okech, who adds that girls who use reusable towels also need a constant supply of clean water.
Tax free
She says that besides teen pregnancies, lack of pads also exposes young girls to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/Aids.
Ms Okech says that to ensure the comfort of schoolgirls and women, the government should ensure continued distribution of pads and the ones on the market should be tax-free.
“Affordability of the menstrual products contributes to the dignity of women and girls of reproductive age. There is also a need for sex education to both boys and girls as measures to help curb teen pregnancies,” she says.
Community Aids Transformation Alliance Group programme coordinator Basra Hassan, says the government should strengthen distribution of free sanitary towels to schools. She says the programme is facing a lot of challenges, thus exposing teenage girls to a number of problems during their menstrual cycle.
"If the government can support distribution of free condoms, it can as well support distribution of sanitary towels, which should be put in public places for teenage girls to access," Ms Hassan says.
*Name of the mother has been changed to protect the identity of the teenage girl.
