The 20,000 girls below the age of 18
who give birth every day in developing
countries make them and the countries they
live in to face economic disadvantages, a UN
report said on Wednesday. The report said that it made them face much
higher health risks than older mothers. Every year, 7.3 million children become
mothers in developing countries, the UN
Population Fund (UNFPA), said in its annual
report that was launched in several cities,
including Geneva. Some 70,000 mothers between 15 and 19 die
from complications after birth each year. Having children at a young age prevents girls
from entering the work force. If girls waited until the age of 20 before having
babies, the gross annual income would be
boosted by more than 7.7 billion dollars in India
and 3.5 billion dollars in Brazil, the report
found. At the same time UNFPA chief Babatunde
Osotimehin stressed that poverty was an
important cause of childhood pregnancies,
along with discrimination against women. “Too often, society blames only the girl for
getting pregnant,’’ he said. “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.” The report said Niger had the world’s highest
childhood pregnancy rate, with 51 per cent of
women in their 20s reporting that they gave
birth before turning 18. In Asia, Bangladesh has the highest rate at 40
per cent. In other regions, Nicaragua holds the record in
Latin America at 28 per cent and Yemen in the
Middle East at 25 per cent. The U.S. accounts for half of the annual
680,000 teenage pregnancies in industrialised
countries, the UNFPA said.(dpa/NAN)
who give birth every day in developing
countries make them and the countries they
live in to face economic disadvantages, a UN
report said on Wednesday. The report said that it made them face much
higher health risks than older mothers. Every year, 7.3 million children become
mothers in developing countries, the UN
Population Fund (UNFPA), said in its annual
report that was launched in several cities,
including Geneva. Some 70,000 mothers between 15 and 19 die
from complications after birth each year. Having children at a young age prevents girls
from entering the work force. If girls waited until the age of 20 before having
babies, the gross annual income would be
boosted by more than 7.7 billion dollars in India
and 3.5 billion dollars in Brazil, the report
found. At the same time UNFPA chief Babatunde
Osotimehin stressed that poverty was an
important cause of childhood pregnancies,
along with discrimination against women. “Too often, society blames only the girl for
getting pregnant,’’ he said. “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.” The report said Niger had the world’s highest
childhood pregnancy rate, with 51 per cent of
women in their 20s reporting that they gave
birth before turning 18. In Asia, Bangladesh has the highest rate at 40
per cent. In other regions, Nicaragua holds the record in
Latin America at 28 per cent and Yemen in the
Middle East at 25 per cent. The U.S. accounts for half of the annual
680,000 teenage pregnancies in industrialised
countries, the UNFPA said.(dpa/NAN)
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