News on Adolescent pregnancy

12 November 2018
News
When her friend became unexpectedly pregnant at an early age, Azlifa sought a way to share sexual and reproductive health information with other young people kept in the dark about their bodies. © UNFPA Maldives/Tatiana Almeida
Youth advocates for family planning break taboos in the Maldives
MALE’, Maldives – When Azlifa was 11 years old, something troubling happened to her friend. “She dropped out of school,” Azlifa remembers. “Her family was very upset. Everyone on the island – it was a very small... Read more
3 December 2015
News
507 maternal deaths take place every day in emergencies, fragile settings, flagship report says
UNITED NATIONS, New York –  “The health and rights of women and adolescents should not be treated like an afterthought in humanitarian response,” Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA’s Executive Director, said today at the... Read more
2 August 2018
News
Maria with her youngest daughter. She lost weight after each pregnancy, alarming her doctors. © UNFPA Moldova/Dan Gutu
“They were afraid I would die”: Early motherhood puts girls at risk in the Republic of Moldova
CIMISLIA, the Republic of Moldova – Maria* gave birth to her first child when she was 16, an age when most of her peers were graduating from secondary school. Today, at 22 years old, she has three daughters. “People who... Read more
26 July 2018
News
Pregnant child brides need extra attention, says Huda, a UNFPA midwife in the Hayati Harrani women's and girl's safe space. “But our hands are tied because so few come for care.” © UNFPA Turkey/Usenabasi Esiet
In Turkey, refugee child marriages drive adolescent pregnancies underground
SANLIURFA, Turkey – “Even today, we saw a 17 year old who is pregnant and already has a child,” said midwife Neval, sitting in the Devtesti Centre, a women’s and girls’ safe space in Sanliurfa, Turkey.  Some 475,000... Read more
21 June 2018
News
Young people from the Kakheti region of Georgia participate in peer education training on gender equality and reproductive health and rights. © UNFPA Georgia
Breaking taboos around sexual and reproductive health in rural Georgia
TBILISI, Georgia – Like many other girls from rural villages in Georgia, Elene* didn’t learn much about her sexual and reproductive health as an adolescent. Her mother told her about menstruation, but before Elene... Read more
7 June 2018
News
Menstrual health is a serious, but overlooked, issue among vulnerable women. Refugees in Louva, Angola, receive UNFPA-distributed dignity kits, which include sanitary napkins, soap, laundry detergent and other essential hygiene supplies. © UNFPA/Tiril Skarstein
Period shame, misinformation linked to serious human rights concerns
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Shame, stigma and misinformation surrounding menstruation are contributing to serious human rights concerns for women and girls, emphasizes a new report commissioned by UNFPA.  The report, a... Read more
16 April 2018
News
Young actors perform a scene from "Ruža," an interactive play about the harms of child marriage. Photo by Almir Panjeta for UNICEF/UNFPA BiH
Drama helps battle child marriage in Bosnia and Herzegovina
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina – On the surface, child marriage seems to affect few girls in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But dig a little deeper, and a pattern emerges among the most marginalized, impoverished girls. A... Read more
27 March 2018
News
Zainab Binta Jalloh was married off at age 15. Today, she is outspoken about her experience and the need for change. Image courtesy of Zainab.
Escaping child marriage in Sierra Leone
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone/Johannesburg, South Africa – "According to our tradition, a girl should get married when she reaches puberty," said Zainab Binta Jalloh, a 23-year-old from Sierra Leone’s Koinadugu District. She... Read more
23 March 2018
News
“We really need more information on sex and reproductive health,” said Kathleen Acosta, 18, a senior and student leader at UP high school in Iloilo. © UNFPA Philippines
In the Philippines, information key to halting teenage pregnancy
ILOILO, Philippines – “I was shocked when I found out I was pregnant,” said Gina*, now 19. At the time, she was a third-year high school student in Iloilo, a central province of the Philippines, and already six months... Read more
16 March 2018
News
Violence against women and girls is pervasive throughout the world. A rape kit in South Sudan. © UNFPA/Tim McKulka
Violence knows no borders: Leaders, activists take on horrors of gender-based violence
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Leaders and youth advocates gathered in New York on Tuesday to discuss how to work together to end violence against women and girls, the most prevalent human rights violation in the world. The... Read more

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