Teenage pregnancy has been identified as one of the primary causes of poverty because the teenagers do not plan for themselves let alone their children before giving birth. Teenage pregnancy is on the increase in recent times and calls for collective efforts of governments, parents, clergies, stakeholders, youth and every concerned citizen to help address this social canker the earlier the better. One can not afford to see our youths, who are the future leaders, to be destroyed through teenage pregnancy their dreams and aspiration for the future are completely thwarted as a result of teenage pregnancy.They are left frustrated for all their lives. As a concerned citizen and youth development worker I am adding my voice to the masses to address this social canker which is invading our society rapidly.
It must be accepted that government can lay a sound foundation for economic prosperity without tackling teenage pregnancy which in a large is the set back to the prosperity of a nation. As I travel far and wide through the country, especially at the rural areas, the situation is highly appalling. I saw teenage mothers with their babies, dirty looking, and miserable and in most cases looking far older than their ages. I was touched hence decided to write on the topic causes, effects and some suggested solutions to teenage pregnancy. What then is teenage pregnancy? The term teenage pregnancy can be divided or broken into two for easy definition.
Teenage or adolescent can be defined as the period in life during which the growing individual makes a transition from childhood to adulthood, the anthologists call it the rites of passage. Some ethnic groups have a way of initiating a child into adulthood. In Ghana mention is made of the Krobos found in the eastern region where a young girl in her teen is taken through an exercise call “dipo” rites. After these rites, the young lady is declared ripe for dating and marriage .The teenage years cover a period between the ages from twelve and twenty years. There are some characteristic associated with this stage.
Firstly are the intellectual changes. Here the intellectual development is high with the physical development which is obvious, the second is the emotional changes like affection, aggressiveness and fears which are likely to cause problem for the teenager. The third is increasing sexual interest, the adolescent at this stage easily identify him or herself with the opposite sex and as a result becomes conscious of their outward appearance to be attracted by the opposite sex. The teenager at this stage seeks complete independence from parent and wishes to be treated like an adult, anything apart from that brings conflict.
Pregnancy: this begins with conception (the fertilization of an ovum by the sperm) it normally ends with childbirth. Having established the above facts, teenage pregnancy can be defined as conception by a girl between the ages of twelve and twenty years. Mostly these pregnancies are unplanned and have consequences on the parties involved in the pregnancy.
What are some of the causes of teenage pregnancy? There are many factors that cause teenage pregnancy and I am going to discuss some of them. The first is lack of information, many teenagers are misled to understand their reproductive capabilities, some believe they are too young to become pregnant or they have not had enough sex to become pregnant. Some adolescent are also anxious about their sexual activities that they are able to deal with social issues in practical ways. Parents either have little or no time to discuss the using of contraception with their teenage daughters and sons.
In actuality, there is a wide gap of communication on sexual matters between parents and their teenage girls and boys. The child exploits the environment to get answers on issues concerning sex because one is afraid to mention that to parents for various reasons such as being rebuked and branded as a “spoilt” ward. Either the parents take one for a spoilt child or scold him or her, due to that children lack the rich experiences of parents to guide them. They are exposed to peer advice which is blatant misinformation that lead them into troubles.
Another factor is inability to accept ones sexuality. Adolescents are confronted with sexual problems especially the teenagers. In some communities sexual behaviors are moral issues which are not likely to be openly examined and discussed while in another communities sexual concerns are looked at with secrecy and discussion is completely absent the teenagers are therefore uncomfortable to talk about their sexuality.
Childishness: most of the teenagers have a naïve mind, like shyness and sensitivity to others for instance the male refuses to use protective mechanisms like the condom. They fail to use contraceptives because they simply think it is not feminine to precondition your mind towards having sex or to take precaution against getting pregnant.
Cognitive Emotional Immaturity: the hallmark of cognitive development is the ability to think about things that have not yet been experienced. Thought that is limited by experience is limited to what happened before. The teenager is now entering the form of of thought in which they can consider an event that may only exist as a possibility for them. Once she had never been pregnant she thinks it is impossible to happen to her . An example is a thirteen year old girl falling in love with an older boy, and thinking of nothing but how to please the boy. The idea of becoming pregnant or contracting sexually transmitted diseases is a secondary matter to her. Some of the girls even think it cannot happen to them even though it happens to other people. An eighteen year girl has this to say:
"Like when I’m having sex, I don’t really connect it with getting pregnant because I’ve never being pregnant you know, and a lot of my friends have but I can’t picture it happening to me. And like you really don’t connect it you know, until once you’ve been pregnant. Because when it’s never happened you say why should it happen? Or it’s never happened yet you know."
Rape: this is another crucial factor, it can be attributed to a lot of things notably it is the dressing of teenagers exposing their attractive parts leads much to be desired. Another point is the poverty, some men take advantage of that and lure teenagers into having sex under the pretence of helping them.
Broken home is also identified as a factor, children mostly suffers since they lack the parental control of the two parties. Some children take advantage of that to indulge in social vices including early sex which later may result in teenage pregnancy.
Mention should also be made of media. There is some films that are pornographic which is not good for teenagers to watch. Most of them after watching that arouse their interest in sex and turn to try it irrespective of the dangers involved. The media should not forget that teenagers are inquisitive and wish to experiment in whatever they see.
Sometimes traditional practise is also factors in some communities. Teenage girls are giving to marriage as early as fourteen years. The worst part is they are giving to men who are by far older than them, while in other communities the chief is allowed to marry many wives, most of which are teenagers.
Some interviews conducted in some selected Junior Secondary Schools in Accra the teenagers had these views:
Question: Have you heard about teenage pregnancy?
Answer: Yes.
What is teenage pregnancy? Some said becoming pregnant while in school, others also said becoming pregnant between the ages of eleven and twenty years. What are the causes of teenage pregnancy? About half of the participants mentioned insecurity, poverty, self esteem, bad upbringing, and lack of knowledge about reproduction. Others attributed it to rape, cognitive emotions and the traditional practices of early marriage, not forgetting the grand outdooring organized in some communities attracts teenagers to also bring forth. Another point mentioned was unemployment. Do you talk about sex? The answer was yes, but only with our peers.
Why not with your parents and teachers? The answer was parents will scold them and take them for spoiled children but for the teachers it is mere shyness and respect. How can we solve the problem of teenage pregnancy? The answer was through the introduction of sex education which include HIV/AIDS, abstinence from sexual intercourse until one is married, and that the parent should provide the needs of their children. Rapists should be punished.
What then are some effects of teenage pregnancy on the youth? Teenage mothers generally face social obstruction and drop out of school. Lack of social and family support makes them a part of the lower level in society where they cannot afford basic necessities like adequate nutrition and health care due to poverty. These mothers are unable to take care of themselves during pregnancy. They are likely to face complications during childbirth. The babies may not also be able to receive proper health care and nutrition which may later affect their physical and mental development.
Some teenage mothers become frustrated and take to prostitution and other social vices, and some of them looking at the danger ahead may resort to abortions and many have their early exit to the grave.
The effect of teenage pregnancy on the society are easily observed as the level of education and growth are affected. Due to the increase population government is stressed on its budget to increase social amenities for the nation. Since the teenagers do not plan their family they cannot give good parental guidance to these children and the children end up becoming armed robbers, drug addicts and criminals. This I must confess negates the very developmental efforts of a state.
Effect on family: it brings about litigation in most case the teenage mothers are not married before becoming pregnant and the men at times deny the responsibilities and in most case end up in court. At times its either sent to the family head or the chief to be settled.
At times heavy fine are imposed on the man responsible for the pregnancy and that brings a lot of conflict. In most case the men and up disappointing the girls which leaves an indelible mark in the lady and the family and a lot of curses are pronounced from the lady to the man. Introduction of sexual education into the basic school curriculum, effort and recourses should be channeled into the education of the girl child. Teenagers should be restricted from viewing pornographic films. Family planning should be encouraged. Rapists should be punished seriously and profane dressing should be discouraged. Traditional practice of early marriage should also be discouraged.
What should people do to combat teenage pregnancy? They should establish teenage clubs in as many schools as possible, visit them frequently and occasionally invite resource persons to talk to them. These clubs will visit places of interest to interact with the people over there. An endowment fund can be established to solicit funds from people and use it to support the needy children especially the girls in schools.
Finally, teenage pregnancy is a social problem and needs a collective effort of all concerned citizen to address. As an Akan adage says: ’’if there is an elder at home and says nothing concern him at a point in time that very thing will concern him.’’ Lets all get involved to combat it. Our youth are precious assets, lets help protect them so that we have good people to take over after us. The issues of teenage pregnancy cut across tribal, political and religious sentiments. Solutions to teenage pregnancy means a better tomorrow for us.
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