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Teenage Pregnancy in Namibia

Introduction

Teenage pregnancy in Namibia has become a growing concern nowadays and hence it has become imperative to look into the various causes of teenage pregnancy in order to deal with this issue carefully. Teenage pregnancies are widely discouraged because the health risks they raise for the young mothers and their babies. Teenage pregnancy refers to pregnancy in young girls, mostly aged 15 to 19 years. Pregnancy at such a tender age is primarily due to lack of sex education. Lack of awareness about the causes and effects of teenage pregnancy is more often than not, a result of lack of proper communication between teenagers and their parents. Therefore, it is the duty of the parents to impart adequate sex education and education regarding reproductive health to their adolescent sons and daughters so that their children become aware of the various aspects related teenage sex and pregnancy. Schools and society also need to emphasize the risk factors associated with unprotected sex as well as the outcomes of unplanned teenage pregnancy, not to mention the significance of moral and ethical values.

Reasons for teenage pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy can be related to broken family relationships that contribute to immature and irresponsible behaviour of a teenager. This lack of attention and care from families results in depression that forces them to seek love and support from other people, especially members of the opposite sex. Alcohol and substance abuse can be linked to unrestricted interaction with the opposite sex and can create feelings of lust and passion in youngsters very easily ultimately leading to teenage pregnancy. At times parents put too many restrictions on their children, especially girls to protect them from dangers. Sometimes this sense of overprotection gives rise to frustration and a feeling of being accused of things that a particular teenage is not even doing. That’s why parents need to balance and find a proper way to communicate with the children rather than screaming and yelling to avoid this problem.

Age difference and unequal power in relationships

One factor that must be highlighted among others is sexual relationships between teenage girls and older men usually revert to as “sugar daddy’s” are more likely to end up in teenage pregnancy. It has been indicated that just one-third of all victims of rape and attempted rape are under the age of 18. A study done by UNICEF in 2006 found that 19% of the girls aged 15-24 in the study had already been pregnant- with a shocking 40% of these pregnancies resulting from forced sex. One factor which cannot be underestimated is the effect of gender violence on schoolgirls – majority of the pregnancies may be the result of forced sex rather than free choice or risky sexual behaviour.Male teachers has also contributed to the high pregnancy rate of teenage girls, it must be recognized that this is an unequal power relationship in which the teacher is in a position of trust and responsibility with respect to the learners , but the larger community would blame the girls that they are “seducing “ the teachers.

Problems

Socio-economic

Teenage pregnancies also create a host of other problems like incomplete education, unemployment, poverty, social embarrassment and numerous other emotional traumas.

Medical

Further, early motherhood also affects the psychological development of the child adversely. Besides, bodies of teenage girls are not as developed as those of adult women in terms of childbearing, therefore, they are likely to face certain complications as well. Moreover, the chances of maternal death cannot be overlooked.

The extent of the problem

Official statistics on pregnancy-related school drop-outs in Namibia for 2007 show that a total of 1465 learners dropped out for this reason – with 96% of them being girls. There are large regional disparities, with pregnancy-related drop-outs being highest by far in Kavango and Ohangwena, followed by the regions of Omusati, Oshikoto, Oshana and Caprivi.

Kavango Region

Rundu — The results of a study on the teenage pregnancy rate in the Kavango Region conducted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) last year, were released on Wednesday. The study revealed that the teenage pregnancy rate in the Kavango Region was double the national average, standing at 34% among the 15- to 19-year-old age group. According to last year's study, 91% of pregnancies among young women in the Kavango Region were unwanted. The study found that 98% of young people were informed about contraceptives, but only 8.7% of them used it. The study also found that condom use in the Kavango Region was very low at 36%.

Conclusion

Girls need to be shown how to avoid placing themselves in situations of sexual vulnerability, such as by accepting gifts from older men, and boys need to be taught that “no means no”, and that girls have an absolute right to say no. Modern society seems to be somewhat hysterical in what concerns the issue of teenage pregnancy. The cause of teenage pregnancy is the gap between the rights and duties, or, more exactly, between the times a person is considered to have rights and the time when he or she is considered to have duties. The problem is, teenagers have that perception that they and even children should be treated as serious as if they were adults; however, they are not adults. A teenager can only be considered to be adult if he earns enough money to sustain himself. Until one doesn’t, one cannot be treated as an adult, at least not in the meaning of giving him the rights of an adult. What is the result? Only appearance of teenage parents in the new generation will be the result. Becoming pregnant while you’re a teen shouldn’t be a goal in a teenagers life. You might plan to get pregnant while in your teen years, but at least make sure you would be able to support the child. If not, your life and the child’s will be extremely hard, which is preventable.Parents should be the main teachers in the sex talk and not always try to postpone these for later or wait until the damage is done by then is too late. frutiul

References

1.http://www.speedyremedies.com/what-are-the-causes-of-teenage-pregnancy.html 2.http://www.lac.org.na/projects/grap/Pdf/learnerpregnancyfull.pdf 3.http://www.paperwritings.com /cause-and-effect-essay-on-teenage-pregnancy.html 4.http://allafrica.com/stories/201210041200.html