KZN to pilot initiative tackling under-reported child sexual offences and teenage pregnancy
The South African Human Rights Commission is partnering with key stakeholders to improve data collection, encourage reporting, and strengthen accountability.
KwaZulu-Natal will be the first province to pilot a new initiative aimed at tackling the under-reporting of sexual offences against children and teenage pregnancy.
Stakeholders join forces
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says it is working with several stakeholders, including the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the University of KwaZulu-Natal's (UKZN) Law Department and the KZN Premier's Office on the project.
In the 2025/26 financial year, 421 KZN girls between the ages of 10 and 14 fell pregnant.
The KZN Health Department says just over 28 000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 became mothers.
Data collection improved
Commissioner Nomahlubi Khwinana says the project aims to improve the collection of information on unreported sexual offences against children, while also identifying ways to encourage reporting and strengthen accountability.
“We have agreed that we will start in KZN. By no means does it mean this is where we are going to stop,” says Khwinana.
“The idea is really to see how best we can collect information, but also how we change the narrative about non-reporting of these offences against children.”
She says the commission hopes the collaboration will culminate in a report that supports its constitutional mandate.
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