Does this grant promote pregnancy
2006-05-18
UNEMPLOYMENT and poverty are two inseparable hardships that Mbekweni, like the most of South African faces, but I am just wondering if this justifies the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy in the community.
Due to my eagerness to get more insight on this subject I chatted with four young ladies who were enjoying their beers at some tavern.
They highlighted the issue of child support grants money as another contributing factor to this escalating crisis.
I was puzzled for a minute at how people would fall pregnant just to access R180 which is only a drop in the ocean when you have to raise a child.
It was only when one of them said “do you think we would have money for these beers if we did not have children”? that I realised that it was grant payment day and we are facing a huge dilemma as taxpayers.
I would like to hear from the Department of Social Services why they do not issue food or clothing vouchers so that the grants can reach the intended beneficiaries (the children who may be without food).
But let me also say I know it takes two to tango, so guys please: no more young parents.
Kwezi Shumi
The head of social welfare’s Paarl office, Garth Morkel, responds:
The idea with the CSG is to assist parents in providing for their children.
The assumption that girls fall pregnant for the R180 that we pay I think is wrong.
Teenage pregnancy has been a major social evil since before the
introduction of the CSG.
It is our contention that it is a question of education, morality and ethics which determines a person’s lifestyle and habits.
Research has shown that where Government has paid child support in one form or another and have stopped paying the grant, the teenage pregnancy rate has remained constant (Brazil and Indonesia come to mind).
In our situation the current rate of 86 teenage mothers per thousand of our CSG beneficiaries points to this. It is a relatively high number given we pay in excess of 17 000 CSG’s in the District.
Part of the indicator patterns to determine the relative affluence of a community is population growth.
In our case the population growth, fueled somewhat by the incidence of teenage pregnancy, is indicative of the poverty of our communities.
We pay the R180 so that various forms of expenditure which would include travelling, medicines, clothes and other child essentials can be purchased by parents.
The most convenient acceptable transaction mechanism is money which can be applied to the varied purchasing needs of families.
Having said all of that one would find that some people would abuse the benefits Governments puts in place, but it's my experience that relatively few people make themselves guilty of this practice.
In dealing with this practice we appeal to communities to inform our Office of abuses of this nature or call our tollfree number 0800-220-
250.
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