A new report has shed light on the need to ensure girls’ right to education during pregnancy and parenthood in Mozambique.

Development Diaries reports that girls’ right to education in the country during pregnancy is being threatened, causing pregnant students and adolescent mothers to drop out of school.

The report put together by Human Rights Watch (HRW) is titled Girls Shouldn’t Give Up On Their Studies: Pregnant Girls’ and Adolescent Mothers’ Struggle to Stay in School in Mozambique.

It is understood that girls who become parents frequently face prejudice, stigma, and a lack of accommodation and support that makes balancing childcare and academic obligations impossible.

Also, a large number of girls from the poorest households drop out of school due to a lack of free education.

Many teachers and school administrators in Mozambique lack clear guidelines on safeguarding pregnant students’ and adolescent mothers’ rights to an education, despite the country’s government having abolished discriminatory policies against them more than five years ago.

The government has struggled to implement its policy at the school level and to tackle the enormous systemic and social barriers girls face to staying in school.

Additionally, due to the stigma, pre-existing discriminatory practices, or the lack of clear guidelines from officials, some teachers and school administrators recommend their students to schools that operate on a night shift.

Development Diaries calls on the government of Mozambique to adopt legally enforceable policies to ensure girls’ right to education during their pregnancies and parenting.

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