Four Measures will help Scrub Teenage Pregnancy in the Community
I am walking in this journey of teenage pregnancy ,sexual and reproductive health
Being married, pregnant, and having a child are life events. For young adolescent girls aged between 10–19 years old, going through these events means facing harsh societal judgments and difficult choices that have life-long impacts. These could mean dropping out of school, being chased away from home by parents, contracting HIV/AIDS, infections such as STIs, being stigmatized by friends and family members, and increasing vulnerability to violence and domestic abuse, high level of poverty and domestic hardships which in the end will cost lives.
Child marriage violates the basic rights of girls and boys and the realization of the socioeconomic transformation of communities. It marks the beginning of frequent and unprotected sexual intercourse, leading to a greater risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. Married young women had 50 percent higher rates of HIV prevalence compared to unmarried sexually active girls(UNAIDS 2021). Evidence suggests that it is also closely associated with intimate partner violence, maternal and child mortality, inter-generational poverty, and the disempowerment of married girls (UNFPA 2020).
The current teenage pregnancy rate in Uganda at 25% is the highest in East Africa and in the last article, I published what teenage pregnancy is and some factors that contribute to teenage pregnancy in the community.
We can not scrub off teenage pregnancy totally in the community but we can implement some measures to reduce the prevalence of teenage pregnancy among the girls in the community.
One last thing, these 4 measures if implemented can help us reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy in our communities.
1. Provide sex education to young adolescents: Sex education for teens is a key responsibility for both parents at home and teachers at school. Sometimes it is embarrassing for parents to seat down with their children and teach them about sexuality. They feel is bad so they let them find out from other sources yet when you educate these teens with the right information about sex, they will learn about it from you the parents other than sources such as friends, movies, magazines, and websites. When your teen hits puberty, a lot of changes are figured out evidently, especially regarding their body growth or facial hair. These changes are challenging to accept, and hence they go through a lot of mood swings. Asking them not to do certain things that you may feel are forbidden increases their urge to explore them further which is best to engage them early.
2. Increase the use of contraceptives among teenage girls: According to WHO studies conducted in China, India, Kenya, Thailand, and other countries, adopting effective contraceptive methods such as condoms, hormonal, and emergency contraceptives) can help prevent teenage pregnancies in the community. However, most adolescents are either unable to buy contraceptives or are unaware of the ways to use them or access sexual and reproductive materials. For this measure to succeed in preventing teenage pregnancy, community leaders and governments, and non-government need to create awareness among the masses about these contraceptives.
3. Prevent Child marriage among teenage girls: In Uganda, 43% of women aged 25–49 were married before the age of 18, according to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2016. Child marriage is not only a human rights violation, but it also increases the risk of teenage pregnancy, which can have a profound effect on the health and lives of young women and can contribute to high fertility rates. Early marriage leads to early pregnancy which attracts poverty, low self-esteem, unemployment, and domestic violence. To avoid these problems, it is important to enroll both girls and boys in school because education empowers them to make informed decisions. Secondly, encourage teenagers to focus on their careers.
4. Reduce forced sex among teenage girls: In order to reduce forced sex among teens, it is of essence to empower girls in the community by offering them support and protection. Girls can be anything in the community, they can become CEO, Presidents, managers, and more in society. When you empower girls through education and teach them life skills that help build their esteem and improve social networks, they can make informed decisions in their lives.
No girl should lose her education, her dreams, or her life because of unintended pregnancy. And, when a woman does decide to become pregnant, she should have the care she needs to be safe and healthy.
Teenagers who openly communicate with their parents are less likely to become teenage parents.