Towards 2040: Defining an African Human Rights Framework on the Right to Education of Pregnant Girls and Adolescent Mothers

No girl should be denied her right to education as a result of pregnancy

Background

Current estimates show that one in every five adolescent girls in Africa become pregnant before they turn 19.[2] In 24 African countries, more than 25 percent of women ages 20 to 24 gave birth before turning 18.[3]

UNESCO estimates that 34 million adolescent girls are out of primary and secondary school across Africa.[4] In 2024, UNICEF reported that six million pregnant and parenting girls ages 10 to 19 were estimated to be out of school; less than 5 percent of girls return to school after pregnancy.[5] Girls experience compounded challenges, including education loss as a result of numerous interruptions to schooling, financial barriers due to the lack of free education, discriminatory, or stigmatizing school practices when they consider returning to or re-registering in school, and the lack of catch-up opportunities for adolescent girls who have been out of school for prolonged periods of time, including due to school closures and displacement.[6]

In many cases, pregnant girls are stripped of autonomy, the right to be meaningfully engaged, access to information and services, and the right to be heard and make decisions on matters that affect them when teachers, school and health officials, parents and guardians make schooling and other life-altering decisions on their behalf. Many adolescent girls who are pregnant or parenting face stigma, exclusion and discrimination in schools, even where national policies or laws safeguard their right to education.[7] Punitive approaches and practices still abound across many countries: policymakers, government officials, and religious leaders, among others, use their platforms to advocate strongly for measures that would isolate adolescent mothers and deprive them of their right to education on an equal basis with their peers.[8]

The reality faced by many girls across Africa demonstrates that there is an urgent need to address the implementation gap between states parties’ obligations under the African human rights treaties and the actions and measures taken by African governments to uphold or hinder the right to education of pregnant girls and adolescent mothers. A comprehensive and African human rights framework, led by the ACERWC, is therefore imperative.