Teenage pregnancy has been an issue for as long as anyone can remember and it has not gotten any better. Even though most of us have grown up in a time where we have more access to education than ever before, teenage pregnancy rates have only risen. With that said, new statistics shows that there is still a lot of work to be done in ending this epidemic.
Teenage pregnancy not only puts young girls at a disadvantage but also brings many social stigmas with it. However, the circumstances surrounding teenage pregnancies are often beyond the control of these girls. Due to this, everyone needs to understand why teenage pregnancy is so prevalent in our society today.
You may not have seen the statistics, but you can almost bet that you know someone who has had a baby at a young age. The teenage pregnancy rate has increased substantially in recent years, and it has reached critical levels across Nigeria and around the world. From urban centres to small rural towns, teen pregnancy is on the rise in almost every region. Governments everywhere are scrambling to address young adult new parents with services such as daycare, schooling, and social services. But what exactly is causing this epidemic? Why are so many teens having babies? And how can we reverse this trend? These are questions we must keep asking ourselves as individuals, parents and community.
There is a host of contributing factors that have led to the dramatic increase in teen pregnancies in recent years. Let us take a look at some of the most prevalent ones. With the advent of social media and the internet, teenagers are being exposed to things they normally would not see until they were much older. In many cases, they are seeing sexual imagery at a very young age. This has led to a cultural shift in the way society views sexuality. In many developed countries, sex is no longer viewed as something reserved for the married.
In many countries, sexuality education is either non-existent or severely lacking. In these situations, teenagers are forced to rely on “word of mouth” information and misunderstandings. The result of this is that many teens have no idea how their bodies work, how to avoid pregnancy, or how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases. One of the ways that we can reverse the current epidemic is by teaching parents how to be better parents. This means that we need to teach them how to set boundaries, how to be more involved in their child’s lives, and how to address potentially awkward topics such as sexuality and relationships
Through education, interventions that combine curriculum-based sexuality education and the use of contraceptive education for adolescents are recommended. It would help reduce pregnancy rates in adolescents.
Lanre Akinbo, Lanreakinbo123@gmail.com.
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