School re-entry policies : a human rights and cultural conundrum for pregnant and parenting adolescents in Lesotho

Abstract

The high levels of early and unintended pregnancy among adolescents in African countries including Lesotho are attributed to various factors. These include inaccessibility, negative and unfavourable community attitude towards adolescent contraceptive uptake and use, poor knowledge of sexual and reproductive health issues including sexuality education, high levels of poverty and vulnerability, negative socio-cultural practices such as child marriage, and increasing sexual and gender-based violence. Adolescent pregnancy and parenting are usually associated with poor health, social exclusion, and stigma, leading to girls’ suspension and sometimes expulsion from school.

Most African governments have adopted laws and developed policies protecting the rights of all children, including adolescents’ rights to enrol and be retained in school. These rights are to be always protected, including during pregnancy and motherhood. Aiming to explore the challenges in implementing policies and guidelines on school re-entry, this dissertation argues that despite the constitutional, legal and policy provisions to protect pregnant and parenting adolescent girls, punitive and discriminatory strategies against them undermine countries’ human rights commitments.

Using the socio-legal approach, the study attributes the legal, policy and strategy implementation challenges, especially those on sexual and reproductive health and education to influences of family, societal, religious and cultural beliefs and practices. It proposes more comprehensive, innovative, gender transformative, targeted and rights-based interventions; and supportive policies and strategies to facilitate continuous awareness creation, social and attitudinal change, and social justice to address adolescents’ specific needs and justify the state’s obligations and legal duties to respect, protect and fulfil citizen’s rights in Lesotho.