Of these 7.3 million births, 2 million are to girls 14 or younger, who suffer the gravest long-term health and social consequences from pregnancy, including high rates of maternal death and obstetric fistula, according to the report, entitled, “Motherhood in childhood: facing the challenge of adolescent pregnancy”.
The report places particular emphasis on girls 14 and younger who are at double the risk of maternal death and obstetric fistula.
‘Motherhood in childhood” offers a new perspective on adolescent pregnancy, looking not only at the girls’ behaviour as a cause of early pregnancy, but also at the actions of their families, communities and governments.
“Too often, society blames only the girl for getting pregnant,” said UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. “The reality is that adolescent pregnancy is most often not the result of a deliberate choice, but rather the absence of choices, and of circumstances beyond a girl’s control. It is a consequence of little or no access to school, employment, quality information and health care.”
According to the report, early pregnancy takes a toll on a girl’s health, education and rights. It also prevents her from realizing her potential and adversely impacts the baby.
It is not just mothers and babies that suffer consequences. Children having children also severely impacts communities and nations’ economies.
The issue of ‘Motherhood in childhood” in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the 2011-2012 Multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS) issued recently, states that the adolescent pregnancy rates are particularly high among Roma in the country. The adolescent birth rate among the Roma is 145, eighteen times higher the adolescent birth rate among general population of 8 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19 for the one year period preceding the survey. This means that every third Roma woman aged 20-24 has had a live birth before age 18. The survey shows that the higher a women’s level of education the higher the prevalence of the use of modern contraceptive methods as opposed to traditional methods.
“Teenage pregnancy is a human rights issue. If a girl becomes pregnant, it is often because her rights were violated for example, because she was married illegally as a child, or she didn’t have access to modern contraceptives, or she was sexually exploited. UNFPA is promoting a new comprehensive approach to tackle the challenge of adolescent pregnancy that doesn’t dwell on changing the behaviour of the girl, but rather on changing the actions of the society she lives in, said Doina Bologa, UNFPA Country Director for BiH, Kosovo, FYROM, Serbia and added: “We need to step up efforts to create conditions which empower girls to avoid unwanted pregnancy. We can do this by making sure girls stay in school to get secondary education. By fostering a culture that views girls and boys as equal, by eradicating all forms of violence against girls and women and by integrating minorities excluded from mainstream society.
Despite the critical need to prevent adolescent pregnancy, “Motherhood in childhood” finds that the global community directs less than two cents of every dollar spent on international development to adolescent girls. This is especially troubling, considering we have the largest adolescent population in human history.
However, money is just one part of the solution. UNFPA is promoting a holistic approach to tackling the challenge of adolescent pregnancy, which does not dwell on changing the behaviour of the girl, but rather on changing the attitudes and actions of the society she lives in. This includes:
· Keeping girls in school
· Stopping child marriage
· Changing attitudes about gender roles and gender equality
· Increasing adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health, including contraception
· Providing better support to adolescent mothers
“We must reflect on and urge changes to the policies and norms of families, communities and governments that often leave a girl with no other choice, but a path to early pregnancy, “said Dr. Osotimehin. “This is what we are doing at UNFPA and what we will continue to do and recommend until every girl is able to choose the direction of her life, own her future and achieve her greatest potential.“
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UNFPA works to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
For more information or interview requests, please contact:
Mandy Kibel, +1 212 297 5293, kibel@unfpa.org; or
Omar Gharzeddine, +1 212 297 5028, gharzeddine@unfpa.org
For Sarajevo-based enquiries, please contact:
Majda Prljaca, + 387 61 171673, prljaca@unfpa.org
For the full report and other resources, please visit:
