Maternal and public health experts have expressed concern over the rise in teenage pregnancy in Nigeria, lamenting that a lot of young girls have dropped out of school, especially in rural areas as a result of the problem.
The experts who attributed the rise to poverty and unrestrained technological gadgets use in teenagers, urged the Federal Government to address the problem from its root.
The United Nations Children’s Fund on Monday announced that one in 10 girls in Nigeria is projected to be a mother before the age of 18.
The Chief of Health at UNICEF Nigeria, Eduardo Celades who disclosed this during a stakeholders forum on Adolescent and Youths Health Policies in Africa, called for immediate and comprehensive intervention by the governments at all levels.
Celades said, “We are facing a massive crisis affecting our adolescent population. One in 10 girls in Nigeria is projected to become a mother before the age of 18, with a disproportionate impact in the North Central and North-West regions, where 50 per cent of young girls, particularly in states like Bauchi and Gombe, are expected to have a child by the age of 18.
“Half of adolescent girls are unlikely to complete secondary school, and a staggering 43 per cent are already married. Of these, a significant portion has partners older than them, impacting their decision-making autonomy.”
Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise , a professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Faculty of Clinical Science at the Bayelsa Medical University, Bayelsa State, Uchenna Onwudiegwu, stated that although teenage pregnancy was not new, the situation was increasing.
The gynaecologist listed poverty, unrestrained access to technological gadgets, and the inquisitive nature of teenagers as reasons for teenage pregnancy.
Onwudiegwu noted that the dwindling family and life value system, enticements from men and distractions from society were factors fuelling teenage pregnancy.
The don explained, “A fourteen-year-old girl from a poor family would agree to a man’s request to sleep with her if lured with things like an iPhone, watch, shoes, among other things.
“The celebrities, influencers, entertainers and people who live superficial lives on social media are not helping the situation. And these are the people young people are looking up to as role models.
“Students who graduate with a first class are barely rewarded or given little amount of money, while those who feature on Big Brother Naija are rewarded with millions of naira.
“So teenage pregnancy is not just a biological problem, it is also a social situation.” he said.
The maternal health expert noted that the immature emotions of teenagers and the natural attraction to the opposite gender were the main reasons teenage girls got pregnant.
The professor further stated that despite the attraction, the teenagers could be stopped from getting intimate through proper upbringing and education on family life and the implications of having sex at a young age.
Onwudiegwu also disclosed that teenage pregnancy had both social and medical consequences.
“Not only can they get pregnant, they can have sexually transmitted infections, which can be from bacterial infections to HIV and other infections, which most of the time would not be properly treated and would affect their future fertility.
” Another problem is when they get pregnant because they are young and unmarried, they would want to terminate the pregnancy and then have botched abortions that can have short, mid and long-term complications such as bleeding, infections, damage to their reproductive parts and apart from that, they can die,” Onwudiegwu said.
He further noted that data from hospitals showed that some pregnant teenagers died from pregnancy or birth complications, lost their wombs, had to have surgeries to save their lives and battled with infections, while some developed chronic pelvic pain, which would cause difficulty having sex and conceiving in the future.
Speaking further on the gynaecological implications, the don stated that the teenage pregnant girls avoided antenatal care, making them suffer from anaemia, eating disorders, poor nutrition, and developing high blood pressure, which when not monitored could cause convulsions.
“The pelvic bones, when they get pregnant at age 16 or 17, have not fully developed in many of them, so they might have difficult labour. The baby may be too big for the birth passage and they may go to the traditional birth attendants to deliver the baby instead of going to the hospital.
“At times, they might experience obstructed labour and their lives are in danger when they end up in the hospital, the baby might die and the obstructed labour might have caused damage to the bladder tissues, called Vesicovaginal fistula, and other complications,” Onwudiegwu said.
On the solutions, the professor said, “The family upbringing needs to instill values and the fear of God in them. They need to be taught to focus on their studies and understand that there is time for everything.
” They also need to understand that relationships can come later and whatever relationship they were in should not go beyond friendship to result in intimacy and sexual encounters. Parents should break the barriers and discuss with their children the need to avoid harmful things that can destroy their lives.
“Teachers in the school should inculcate discipline and society needs to help them. We need to train and teach them about their bodies, family lives, and decent sexual education.
“Their feelings are natural and biological, but because they are humans, they can control themselves and are not animals that don’t have control. Train them to avoid activities that would flare up sexual desires in them.
“Show them the dangers of watching explicit sexual programmes because when they watch them, they try to practice them and with their access to phones and computers, they have access to getting those materials.”
Also, a professor of Medical Sociology at the University of Calabar, Raphael Abia, stated that teenage pregnancy was due to neglected responsibility, describing it as a “great social problem.”
Abia assured that with adequate education and the presence of public concern and administration, teenage pregnancy would be eliminated.
The don said, “Teenage pregnancy is expected but the government by now would have provided the right education to take the mind of adults into engaging in setting the teenagers on the path of bearing children, either on the path of informal marriage or out of wedlock. We need to preoccupy our minds and return.
“Education is not about the ones in the classroom. It is the kind of education that is taken to the doorsteps of the minds of the people so that they are conscious and speaking with religious leaders. Teenage pregnancy cones as a result of neglected responsibility either on the part of the parent and government.”
The researcher on Public Health stated that the impacts of teenage pregnancy were both economic and social and social withdrawal on the part of the teenager.
“The society would keep on bearing the cost of coming with teenage pregnancy. The child is not socially conscious and has now realized that she would have to take care of another person.
Continuing, he said, “The burden is much on the mother, the community, and sometimes the parents and extended family who were not ready would have to bear the cost.
“So, the social and economic impact is there on the family and the teenager begins to experience withdrawal impact which may affect the emotions and psychologically impair the child forever.”
On the solutions, he called for the education of religious leaders to advocate against teenage pregnancy and a reawakening of moral regeneration in society.
“The government at both state and local levels needs to do more. Religious groups should be educated to pass the message and advocate against teenage pregnancy.
“People who engage in this may be men of high social status and are shielded from persecution. Girls’ education should be put as a priority at the family and government levels,” Abia stated.
SOURCE: PUNCH