alarming increase in pregnant girls – El Tiempo
More than 50 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 in Piura they face a birth that can lead to death. They call on the future rulers to direct actions towards counteracting this serious problem.
By: Adriana Beru Veliz
A few months before the end of the year, 55 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 became mothers in the region, Piura and Sullana are the provinces with the highest incidence. This was reported by the organization Centro Ideas Peru.
“This is an alarming situation because they are girls whose pregnancy may be the result of rape and this means a violation of their basic rights such as the continuation of their education and the opportunity to live a fulfilling life,” explained Centro Ideas representative Claribel Mauricio.
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Of the total number of registered cases, 67% belong to a province Piura (19) and Sullana (18), followed by Morropón (5), Ayabaca (4), Talara (4), Huancabamba (3) and Paita (2). In addition, the areas with the highest incidence are Sullana, Veintiséis de Octubre, Piura, Castilla and Tambogrande.
“The rate of births has increased in the last four months, we are talking about 57% of the total cases among girls between the ages of 10 and 14, reported in June, July, August and September,” he added.
It should be noted that last year there were 78 births in this age group, 46 more than in 2020 and the trend continues to grow.
“This situation is alarming because while comprehensive sexuality education is being discussed at the national level, more girls in our region Piura they become mothers […] the risk of premature pregnancy can lead to death because they are not physically prepared”, Mauricio emphasized.
teenage pregnancy
Similarly, 2,758 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 have become pregnant so far in 2022, representing 67% of the total number of cases reported in 2021.
Average 10 teenagers piurani, become mothers a day. Also, the provinces of Piura and Sullana recorded the most cases with 991 and 818 respectively.
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The representative of Center for ideasalso pointed out that after giving birth, there is a high risk for adolescents to become pregnant again.
Given this situation, it is urgent that regional authorities implement a series of strategies to prevent unwanted teenage pregnancy.
“There are several strategies that need to be worked on; For example, with young people who have not started their sex lives, it is important to apply comprehensive sex education, it should be a requirement. On the other hand, we must be realistic that many adolescents in the region start their sexual life at a young age, so conditions must be created for them to have access to the appropriate contraceptive methods.commented Morris.
Similarly, Susana Chavez, director of Promsex, pointed out that lack of access to comprehensive sexuality education (ESI) is the main cause of teenage pregnancies.
“The lack of access to comprehensive sexuality education explains many of the disadvantages that students experience in matters related to their sexuality, including violence, and educational institutions must fulfill their role of informing and educating without prejudice and according to human rights standards and gender equality to guarantee sexual and reproductive rights”, he claimed.
They exhort the future authorities
On the other hand, Claribel Mauricio, called on the next regional and local authorities not to trivialize this problem, but on the contrary, they should implement policies to ensure a better future for our girls and adolescents.
“We must put our girls and adolescents on the agenda and as a priority they must implement public policies that work in coordination with organized civil society to prevent adolescent pregnancy and the implementation of comprehensive sex education, which is fundamental” , said.
“They need to be aware that this is a major problem, forced pregnancy is a product of rape, we need professional and sensitive officers on this issue”he added.
‘My turn’
As part of the “Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Day” celebrated today, September 26, Promsex, Fordes (Arequipa), Centro Ideas (Piura) and Equality and Development (Ucayali) launched the campaign “My turn“.
This initiative aims to make parents, institutions and adolescents aware of the role they each play in preventing teenage pregnancy and reducing these alarming figures.
“This is a campaign that aims to draw attention to taking action against teenage pregnancies that are registered in our region,” said.
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