In a society where sex is a taboo and sex education in schools still remains a matter of debate, teenage pregnancies create a furore…provided it is outside wedlock. Given that child marriages are significant contributors towards early pregnancies, societal stigma against such conceptions is not in the light of the numerous health risks involved, but rather that they are pre-marital. They are unsanctioned because they occur outside the patriarchal institution of marriage.
Globally, around 15% of women bear children under the age of 18, states UNICEF. Early pregnancy hinders the natural maturation of girls into adulthood and exposes them to numerous health risks. They have a higher chance of developing pregnancy induced hyper-tension, preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications. Childbirth and pregnancy complications are the leading causes of death among girls aged 15 to 19, globally. Not only the mother but the child is also at considerable risk. Children born to adolescent mothers are more likely to suffer from acute neonatal conditions and low birth weight.
The social consequences are equally dire. Studies show that teenage mothers are more exposed to intimate partner violence. They also discontinue their education thereby losing eligibility for a lot of employment opportunities. Financial strain often makes childcare problematic making both the adolescent parent and child prone to malnutrition. Teenagers who conceive outside wedlock are most often forsaken by their families and hence pushed to poverty. In certain other cases, they are exposed to unsafe and illegal abortion practices which ultimately threaten their lives.
In many cases, teenage pregnancy can be avoided by preventing child marriages. Legal action in cohesion with social awareness can reap great changes in the society. Adults who contract, solemnise and/or promote child marriages are punished under The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 in India. In addition to legal intervention, many NGOs such as CRY, Saarthi Trust and Girls Not Brides actively fight against eradicating child marriage in India. At the same time, since poverty and child marriage are closely linked, governmental schemes that focus on alleviating economic strain and facilitating social progress act as preventive measures.
The incidence of pregnancy outside of marriage can be tackled only through the introduction of sex-education in schools. It has been found that balanced and realistic sex education programmes have helped sexually active teenagers in the United States to either postpone intercourse or adopt safe sex practices. These programmes have been found to neither increase sexual activity nor initiate early sexual activity. Not only does this reduce teenage pregnancies, it also drastically decreases the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases. Awareness on sexual abuse, sexuality, gender identities and consent is also achieved.
In India, sex- education was made a part of school curriculum in 2018. The curriculum aimed at imparting, in age-appropriate manner, understanding of good touch and bad touch, mental health, reproductive health, STDs, injury and violence among others. Yet, the topic still remains a taboo. The National Education Policy 2019 was criticised for not sufficiently addressing sex-education in schools. It is unfortunate that sex-education is still dismissed as being immoral and against Indian culture. Though having a discussion in the first place is seen as progress, we as a society must pick up the pace.