EDITORIAL: Adolescent pregnancies a concern
THIS week the Caribbean is recognising Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Week, putting the spotlight on this problem that is ruining the lives of many young girls.
This is the second consecutive year that the region is observing this week, which is designed to highlight the issue and secure the commitment of policymakers and society in general, to address the issue as the public health priority that it is.
There can be no denying that adolescent pregnancy impacts not only the health and well-being of young girls, but it has a serious negative impact on their development. The fact is, one young girl who has a pregnancy that she is not prepared for, who then has a child she has to nurture, is one too many. Our young girls must be allowed to enjoy their childhood, and therefore becoming mothers before they are mentally and physically ready, can result in depression and negatively impact their health as well as that of their children. Additionally, it can affect their educational and employment opportunities and perpetuate the intergenerational cycle of poverty that prevails in this region.
On Monday, during the launch of the week, Minister of Health and Wellness of Belize, Michel Chebat, called on Caribbean governments to work together to close the gaps that exist in our countries regarding child abuse, so that we can reduce the incidence of adolescent pregnancy. He spoke specifically of CARICOM states formulating appropriate regional public policies to be applied at the national level, and introducing age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to educate and protect adolescent girls from sexual violence and incest.
One can certainly support such calls, as there is evidence that too many of our girls are having sexual intercourse at a young age, based on the number of pregnancies we are seeing among this segment of the population. There is also a concern that with adolescent pregnancies in the Caribbean on the increase, we run the risk of losing the gains we have made over the years. It has been suggested we stand to lose as much as a decade of progress in the reduction of adolescent pregnancy in our region, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our countries must therefore not lag, and move with alacrity to put stronger legislation in place to prevent such pregnancies from occurring and to bring the perpetrators to justice. This must be our focus as our adolescent fertility rates are already excessively high and it is likely even higher than we think, given that the data is limited.
But it is not only for governments to play their part, but society as a whole to stop turning a blind eye to this problem. We see the issues of incest or sexual violence perpetrated by fathers, uncles, stepfathers, brothers, family friends and neighbours as taboo, and fail to report them, and thereby cutting the problem off at the root. Instead, we only prune the “leaves and branches”, and the problem remains. That is not good enough and so we have to do a better job to protect our girls.
The fact is that many parents are also guilty of not having conversations with their children about sexuality, resulting in those young people seeking such information from the wrong sources or people. Again too many parents see the topic of sexuality as taboo and they are often embarrassed to talk about such things with their kids. What’s more, they underestimate their children’s ability to understand the issue. But, where they are uncomfortable with such conversations, rather than burying their heads in the sand and hoping it will sort itself out, they should turn to professionals for help. As adolescents go through puberty, it is also critical that they have access to information to understand and deal with their emerging sexuality so as to make informed choices.