TEENAGE PREGNANCY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Sub Saharan Africa has an ever rising problem in aids, early marriage, abortion, prostitution and teenage pregnancy and this has been the result of their old fashion ways of living. People from Sub-Saharan Africa believe that children are blessings and it is true because a child is a gift of love. But if their parents cannot provide them with basic necessity it only worsens the life of a child and this has been the result of unplanned teenage pregnancy and early marriage.
Record shows that as early as 13 years old girls are giving birth to a child and this has been practiced up to the present times. The first problem that arises from this common practice of teenage pregnancy is the death of the young mother when his very young body cannot deliver a child in his womb. According to study conducted, there are a large number or group of girls and women who died in because of teenage pregnancy and this has been the cause of complication of disease that may arise in the very sensitive young body of a teenage girls, while other causes of death are internal bleeding, high blood, malaria, malnutrition and many other highly complicated diseases.
Even the traditional genital cutting of the girl’s vaginal opening may cause a very dangerous effect on both child and mother. This is their traditional means of giving birth to a child. African people tend to practice the old belief for the preservation of their cultural heritage. This common belief has killed many lives of many pregnant teenager and mother that is more than 30 years of age.
And even if they are able to give a successful birth to a child another problem arises when the young parents do not have the capacity to establish a good well being of a child if they cannot afford to give them education and food to eat because they themselves are still children. The rampant malnutrition of children and adults alike is still an unresolved issue in Sub-Saharan countries in Africa. But still only a few community exercise family planning method that is not much popular in their countries.
Teen-age pregnancy is still common in Sub-Saharan Africa even if the method of family planning and education is promoted even in the civilized towns and key cities that are influenced by other forms of media like TV, Radio and Print ads. Children who experienced an early pregnancy usually drop out of school and walk away from their families to live in solitude, some even reported to commit suicide due to helplessness, frustration and fear of rejection of the family while some suffered from domestic violence and abortion. Other teenagers would be involved in prostitution to resolve their issues and some have managed to survive with the kind of job they have chosen.
Prostitution has become another cause of teenage pregnancy who suffered much about the consequence of teenage pregnancy when they have found no hope in their family they tend to resort into something unpleasant just to be able to meet their children’s needs and this has been the cause of HIV or sexually transmitted diseases.
During the early 70’s the government have provided health workers and family planning method to be implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa. During those times health education is being taught in school to prevent the issue of mortality rate of early teenage pregnancy. Condoms and other contraceptives have been introduced in their countries to counter measure the ever growing needs of teenage pregnancy and safe sex among children. Unfortunately the result has not been very successful because up to now there are still a large record of casualties among teen- agers who suffered from early pregnancy and early marriage.
I believe that the real issue here is the moral standard and character education that must be developed inside the family and must be highly taught in school. This does not mean to degrade the value of such families among the natives but the record shows a very alarming consequence of death of innocent lives among their children. The morality and dignity of a person cannot be measure and controlled through the use of contraceptive, but it is through their young mind that must be develop to practice good value that will not change in spite of temptation and trials.
The moral value of a child if highly encouraged can surpass any other obstacle that they can use even if they grow up and this will build a good foundation to teach their children. As written in the bible Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”. It is only through this principles a teenage pregnancy and other issues can be overcome.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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