FOCUS has been drawn to the increase in adolescent pregnancies in developing countries, especially, Nigeria where the trend is said to surpass other African countries.
This was the highpoint at an event packaged by the Lagos State Ministry of Budget and Planning, in conjunction with the United Nations, to mark World Population Day, last week.
At the Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC), Magodo, Lagos, experts observed that adolescent pregnancy is not just a health issue, but also one that affects development.
The Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNIFPA), Dr. Babatunde Oshotimehin, examined the effects of under-aged pregnancy on population, wellbeing of teenage mothers and how the practice hinders national development.
He noted that about 16 million girls, aged between 15-19 years, are victims of early pregnancy in developing countries, with many of them open to complications.
He said breaking the cycle of adolescent pregnancy requires commitment from nations, communities and individuals in developed and developing counties.
"With the right skills and opportunities, they can invest in themselves, in their families and their communities. However, early pregnancy jeopardises the rights, health, education and potentials of far too many adolescent girls, robbing them of a better future," Osotimehin said.
He added that young girls must be provided with age-appropriate comprehensive intercourseual education to develop the knowledge and skills they need to protect their lives.
In his lecture titled, "Population and the Environment: Lagos Perspective", Dr. John Lekan Oyelara of the Department of Sociology, University of Lagos (UNILAG), lamented the increase in adolescent pregnancy and its effects on population.
While emphasising the symbiotic relationship between population and environment, Oyelara said the population in Lagos has stretched available infrastructure, like education, health, housing, waste management, water and power supply, and above all, land.
He said there is need to address the increase in "child mothers", warning that population will continue to grow if the trend is not addressed.
He noted that population and the environment are inseparable entities: "By implication, the duo can be said to have both a parasitic and symbiotic relationship, if viewed in the context of Lagos State. Population and the environment can therefore be seen as inseparable Siamese-twins, as they go together and are organically related."
Examining the magnitude of the problem, Head, UNFPA's Lagos Office, Dr. Omolaso Omosehin, remarked that adolescent girls and young women face high level of morbidity and death as a result of unsafe abortion.
He revealed that Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the highest adolescent birth rate with limited access to and use of contraception.
"In developing countries, 22 per cent of adolescents girls who are married or in union use contraceptives, compared with 61 per cent of married girls and women aged between 15-49," he said.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Adebayo Sotade (represented by a Director in the Ministry, Mrs. Folasade Fasheun), said to address the issue of adolescent pregnancy, it is desirable that a comprehensive database of all forms of abuses towards the girl child be generated for evidence-based plans and programmes.
"Strategic and early investments in adolescent girls' education, health, and livelihoods, along with protection of their human rights can have huge positive impact on their lives, including decreasing pregnancy that poses risk to their health," he said.
The Guardian
That's a very good step they are about to take. Nigerian girls nowadays end up carrying unwanted pregnancies and it's killing naija's reputation...