2023-06-30 20:59:56
Foundiougne is swept by a breeze. On the shore, we see here and there mangroves, flocks of birds… The city is a gift of nature. Despite this, the populations do not take advantage of the assets. They are immersed in precariousness. This influences the behavior of girls. Despite its paradisiacal setting, the city is confronted with the phenomenon of early pregnancies, a consequence of the poverty of the populations. Nafy Traoré, master midwife of the Foundiougne health district, announced during a workshop that 25 cases of early pregnancy were recorded between January 1, 2023 and May 31, 2023. An alarming figure which provides sufficient information , on this scourge that plagues the education of young girls in this locality of the Fatick region. This situation is confirmed by the President of the Departmental Committee of Teachers for the Promotion of Girls’ Education (CdepScofi), Fatou Diène Ndiaye. She painted a dark picture of the situation of teenage pregnancies in the department of Foundiougne. “Early pregnancies are a real obstacle to girls’ schooling. This year alone, the Scofi (Schooling of young girls) counted 62 cases of pregnancy in the department. These children, very young, for the most part, come to us from Niombatto. Most of the victims suffer dramatic consequences”, informs Ms. Ndiaye. According to her, “the vulnerability of girls has been indexed. Men take advantage of their situation. The fact remains that the responsibility of their parents is also engaged. Many parents no longer control their children. In addition to not providing them with three meals, they are more concerned with the daily expense than with the well-being of the child”. She deduces that this is the consequence of the profound transformation of society. “Previously, the education of children was the responsibility of the whole community. Today it is a family affair. Nobody dares to correct someone else’s child, at the risk of having problems with his parents. As a result, there is more freedom which opens the doors to risky behavior, especially in a tourist area,” she lamented.
Punish the perpetrators
“Young girls tend to let themselves be seduced by older people, to have a lifestyle similar to that of young people who frequent tourists,” explained Fatou Diène Ndiaye.
Seynabou Diouf agrees. This mother, met at the market of Foundiougne, does not go there by four paths. Basket in hand, Ms. Diouf believes that easy money remains one of the causes of early pregnancies. “Girls always want to be well dressed at parties. As the parents are not always well off, they fall back on the boys who often abuse them. It’s rare to see a girl from a wealthy family become a victim of early pregnancy. So poverty is the main cause. Foundiougne is a welcoming city, with therefore many entries and exits, ”deduces our interlocutor.
Poverty is the engine of this phenomenon in Foundiougne. Pape Ndiaye is a “Jakarta” motorcycle driver who works with young girls. According to him, most cases of early pregnancy are students who are in complicated family situations. “Sometimes students approach us to get something to eat or to get around. If a girl depends on a man who is not her father to eat, dress and get around, the end result is that this girl becomes vulnerable and some men take advantage of this,” says the “Jakarta” motorcycle driver.
In this city, idleness is the mother of all behavior contrary to our values. “I can’t tell you exactly how many times I went to a pharmacy to buy a morning following pill for girls,” insisted Pape Ndiaye.
For Fatou Diène Ndiaye, President of the Departmental Committee of Teachers for the Promotion of Girls’ Education, the State must take action once morest the perpetrators of these pregnancies. “We found that men exploit the weakness of young girls with money or threats. Those responsible for early pregnancies should be prosecuted, because they are criminals. It is rare to see a young boy being the author of a pregnancy. It’s always mature men, ”she explains, insisting on the need to crack down, while there is still time.
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