News on Adolescent pregnancy

1 February 2019
News
“Many of my friends dropped out of school because of early marriage," said Soukaina, in Morocco. “I am grateful I have been able to finish school and delay motherhood." © UNFPA Maroc
The future at her fingertips: What happens when girls say #IDONT
UNITED NATIONS, New York – More than 150 million. This is the number of girls who could become child brides by 2030 if the world does not act decisively to end child marriage. On average, tens of thousands of girls are... Read more
24 January 2019
News
Chief Mwanza has put women and girls at the top of her agenda since rising to power. © UNFPA Malawi/Henry Chimbali
When women rule: Malawi chief battles harms against girls
MWANZA, Malawi – Chief Mwanza knows all too well the opportunities that are lost when girls are married off as children. She was married when she was only 14 years old. Born Chalendo MacDonald in 1952, she had wanted to... Read more
18 January 2019
News
Young people outside a youth-friendly health centre in Kamenge, Bujumbura. © UNFPA/Chiara Frisone
In Burundi, sexual health education helps youth protect themselves, their futures
BUJUMBURA, Burundi – “During my youth, I had to abort four times,” said Cecile Nshimirimana*, a student in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura. The procedures were illegal – in Burundi, abortion is permitted only to save a... Read more
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

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