Member of Parliament for Nsanje South West Eurita Valeta has called for the involvement of "blessers" in the fight against teenage pregnancies.
Valeta, who is also Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, made the call at a panel discussion on sexual and reproductive health for youth which was organised by Centre for Solutions Journalism (CSJ) in Blantyre on Saturday.
"Blessers" is a term used to describe older men who have sex with young girls in exchange for money and expensive gifts, resulting in teenage pregnancies.
"As you are aware, it is the men, or the so-called blessers, who impregnate these girls. So, we need to involve them in order to win the war against teenage pregnancies, we should tell them the evils and implications of sleeping with young girls," Valeta said.
Valeta's call followed an observation by Blantyre Soche West Ward Councilor Leonard Chimbanga, who sounded the alarm on the growing trend of "blessers" preying on vulnerable girls, leading to early pregnancies.
"Blessers are fueling teenage pregnancies, most in schools of high learning," Chimbanga said.
According to Chimbanga, "They (blessers) take advantage of students who are less privileged and those hungry for expensive things by sleeping with them in exchange for money and other items, resulting in early pregnancies."
CSJ Executive Director Brian Ligomeka acknowledged that teenage pregnancies are rampant in Malawi and called for collective effort to address the issue.
"The issue of teenage pregnancies is high in Malawi, and there is a need to work hand in hand to combat this," Ligomeka said.
He added: "We organised this panel discussion so that politicians, such as members of parliament, ward councillors, and directors of women and youth, can put their inputs on issues of sexual reproductive health policies and laws that the government is implementing."
The discussion aimed to explore solutions to address the growing issue of teenage pregnancies, including motivating politicians to prioritize the issue and translating laws and policies on sexual and reproductive health into action.
CSJ plans to support the Ministry of Health in implementing a new National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy through radio and television programs where stakeholders will participate in service and information provision.
