Ministry aims 10% yearly decrease in teenage pregnancy

KUCHING: The Ministry of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development has set a target to decrease the number of teenage pregnancy in the state by 10 per cent every year.

Its minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said 2,130 teenage pregnancies were recorded in Sarawak last year, a 14 per cent decrease compared to the figure in 2016.

She said most cases were caused by promiscuity and boygirl relationship going overboard due to many reasons such as easy access to pornographic materials.

“There is a steady decrease in the number of teenage pregnancies in the state from 2013 which recorded 4,078 cases.

“In 2017, the number of teenage pregnancies saw a decrease in 10 districts. The awareness and campaigns by the government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are certainly bearing some favorable results,” she said at the closing ceremony of ‘The Parenting Teenagers Course in English and Chinese' held at Sarawak Club here on Wednesday.

However, despite the declining figure, she said Sarawak still ranked number two in terms of the number of teenage pregnancies in the country, behind Sabah.

“The government will thus not rest on its laurels and will continue its efforts to reduce and prevent teenage pregnancies in the state.”

Another issue of concern that warrants immediate attention is drug problems among youths.

“From the 1,516 students in 85 schools tested in 2017, 112 of them tested positive for drugs.

“Social problems such as juvenile delinquency among youths are escalating. This needs our urgent attention and intervention not only from the government but also from parents, community bodies and NGOs,” Fatimah said.