Usman Nyallay, Grade 11
UWCEA Arusha Campus
It is of great concern that we try to discuss the issue of teenage pregnancy in Africa as we now see many of our adolescent girls being pregnant before they are due. It has rather has consequences which are severe to our society and to the individual girls.
Is teenage pregnancy to be tolerated or not? And do you know that many girls in Africa are faced with the issue of teenage pregnancy?
According to statistics everyday in developing countries over 20000 girls under the age 18 give birth. This amounts to 7.3 million births a year. And if all the pregnancies are included the figures will be much higher.
What are the factors leading to pregnancies in Africa? Most adolescent pregnancies are unintended and year. And may have come as a result of some unfavourable circumstance and such factors may be lack of education on reproduction, peer pressure, lack of positive family interactions, lack of parental supervision and most especially child marriage which is the most dominant in Africa.
Which set of girls are more prone to teenage pregnancy? Adolescent girls who are more vulnerable are more prone to teenage pregnancy and those hailing from poor backgrounds and homes. It is true on a global level that 95% of the world’s birth to adolescents takes place in low- and middle-income countries. Adolescent girls who are being forced into child marriage and those lacking reproductive and sexual education are also at a high risk of getting pregnant.
Has teenage pregnancy had any negative impact on girls in Africa? You would be surprised to know that 60% of these unintended pregnancies end in abortions and about 5-13% of maternal deaths occur as a result of abortion. Adolescent girls aged 15-19 years are twice likely to die during childbirth as women 20 years and above. Coupled with HIV, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for young women and girls, with 26% of maternal deaths occurring among adolescents. Adolescent pregnant girls are faced with long-term consequences such as lowered educational achievements, medical complications, higher subsequent fertility problems, lower labour force, deformations in the reproductive system of victimized girls and a lot more. Mood swings, Mood swings concentrating, trouble eating and difficulty sleeping are some of the other effects which teenage pregnancy has on its victims which may eventually lead to depression.
Have you any knowledge about teenage pregnancy and how to prevent and manage it? A very effective way of preventing teenage pregnancy in adolescents who are sexually active is by using effective contraceptives like birth control pills, condoms etc. every time they engage in sexual intercourse .Child marriage which is the greatest factor influencing teenage pregnancy mut be battled by the international community i.e. the African community in order to liberate our young girls from such a harmful practice as nine (9) out of ten (10) births to adolescent girls occur within marriages in Africa. Comprehensive sexuality education for both in and out of school adolescents (male and female) by promoting supportive national policies, strengthening curricula’s, training teachers and developing tools to measure implementation in schools. Also lack of parental supervision, lack of reproductive education, peer pressure and lack of positive family interactions which influence teenage pregnancy should be seriously handled to help minimize or rather wipe out the issue of teenage pregnancy in Africa.
It is a responsibility of yours and mine to help stop the issue of teenage pregnancy in Africa and empower our victimized adolescent girls as well, for “behind every mistake there is a lesson” and “life has no limitations except the ones we make”. For you and I this is a wake up call for us to rise against this disheartening issue destroying our adolescent girls. And remember “Unintended pregnancies come at a cost to the individual girls and women, to their families and to society itself”.
Image Courtesy: Dreams time. com
Is teenage pregnancy to be tolerated or not? And do you know that many girls in Africa are faced with the issue of teenage pregnancy?
According to statistics everyday in developing countries over 20000 girls under the age 18 give birth. This amounts to 7.3 million births a year. And if all the pregnancies are included the figures will be much higher.
What are the factors leading to pregnancies in Africa? Most adolescent pregnancies are unintended and year. And may have come as a result of some unfavourable circumstance and such factors may be lack of education on reproduction, peer pressure, lack of positive family interactions, lack of parental supervision and most especially child marriage which is the most dominant in Africa.
Which set of girls are more prone to teenage pregnancy? Adolescent girls who are more vulnerable are more prone to teenage pregnancy and those hailing from poor backgrounds and homes. It is true on a global level that 95% of the world’s birth to adolescents takes place in low- and middle-income countries. Adolescent girls who are being forced into child marriage and those lacking reproductive and sexual education are also at a high risk of getting pregnant.
Has teenage pregnancy had any negative impact on girls in Africa? You would be surprised to know that 60% of these unintended pregnancies end in abortions and about 5-13% of maternal deaths occur as a result of abortion. Adolescent girls aged 15-19 years are twice likely to die during childbirth as women 20 years and above. Coupled with HIV, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for young women and girls, with 26% of maternal deaths occurring among adolescents. Adolescent pregnant girls are faced with long-term consequences such as lowered educational achievements, medical complications, higher subsequent fertility problems, lower labour force, deformations in the reproductive system of victimized girls and a lot more. Mood swings, Mood swings concentrating, trouble eating and difficulty sleeping are some of the other effects which teenage pregnancy has on its victims which may eventually lead to depression.
Have you any knowledge about teenage pregnancy and how to prevent and manage it? A very effective way of preventing teenage pregnancy in adolescents who are sexually active is by using effective contraceptives like birth control pills, condoms etc. every time they engage in sexual intercourse .Child marriage which is the greatest factor influencing teenage pregnancy mut be battled by the international community i.e. the African community in order to liberate our young girls from such a harmful practice as nine (9) out of ten (10) births to adolescent girls occur within marriages in Africa. Comprehensive sexuality education for both in and out of school adolescents (male and female) by promoting supportive national policies, strengthening curricula’s, training teachers and developing tools to measure implementation in schools. Also lack of parental supervision, lack of reproductive education, peer pressure and lack of positive family interactions which influence teenage pregnancy should be seriously handled to help minimize or rather wipe out the issue of teenage pregnancy in Africa.
It is a responsibility of yours and mine to help stop the issue of teenage pregnancy in Africa and empower our victimized adolescent girls as well, for “behind every mistake there is a lesson” and “life has no limitations except the ones we make”. For you and I this is a wake up call for us to rise against this disheartening issue destroying our adolescent girls. And remember “Unintended pregnancies come at a cost to the individual girls and women, to their families and to society itself”.
Image Courtesy: Dreams time. com
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