Help is available, pregnant girls told
LAWAS: Teenage girls who end up pregnant must not keep it to themselves as there are ways to help them.
They can inform their parents or school counsellor who will then inform the One Stop Teenage Pregnancy Committee (OSTPC).
The problem is not theirs alone, said Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah.
“Some of the girls want to continue their studies, some want to be moved elsewhere to continue their pregnancy, some don’t want to marry and need help financially to care for the child. The committee can help in all these. It’s a holistic approach with help available in all districts,” she said at the launch of ‘Social Intervention: Sex Education Awareness and Advocacy’ at SMK Trusan Lawas yesterday.
“The committee is not to encourage teenage pregnancy but if it has happened and the girls got pregnant, the committee is there to take care of the welfare of the young mother and child.”
She said education is the basic right of a child, and if the young mother wants to continue her studies, it can be arranged.
On why teenagers get involved in underage sex, she said social media plays a big role. They find their partners through applications like WeChat, they meet, fall in love and she got pregnant.
“Just once is enough to get pregnant,” Fatimah said.
Not only that, these teens can get sexually transmitted diseases (STD) from having multiple partners.
“Abstinence is the key. We want our children to obtain education at the highest level possible to secure a better future and achieve their full potential.”
She urged parents to have a better relationship with their children so they would talk to them about their problems to arrive at a solution together.
“Parents need to educate their children about sex. It’s not an easy topic but it’s important to talk about it with their children.”
On the programme, she said openly talking about reproductive health was not to encourage promiscuity but send the message to respect your body, respect others and respect the boundary.
OSTPC was approved by the cabinet and set up in 2014. Its members are from 11 agencies, including a representative from each district. It has helped solve 279 cases, of which 95 were related to education, 67 welfare, 22 registration, 18 religion and 14 civil.
Speaking on the event, she said it was held as an outreach programme to reduce the percentage of teenage pregnancy in the state by 10 per cent. Last year there were 428 cases.
She said Sarawak has the highest percentage of teenage pregnancies and the second highest number of cases in the country.
These girls are as young as 10 years old and is a worrying trend as they get younger and younger. In 2013, 54 per cent are 18-19 years old and in 2016, 50 per cent are 15-17 years old, she said. Almost all these girls (94.3 per cent) dropped out of school last year. Their marital status in 2013 is 32.4 per cent unmarried, rising to 54 per cent in 2016.
“If the girl is from a poor family, they will be poor as there is no chance for education, same with the child she bears. It will become a vicious cycle which we want to stop. We don’t want the poverty to be inherited,” she said.
The 3-day event ending today (Sunday) is organised by the Social Development Council in cooperation with Limbang Resident Office and State Education Department. It includes talks, sharing session, zumba and exhibition.
Present were Social Development Council executive secretary Dr Zufar Yadi Brendan Abdullah, Lawas education officer Awang @Ibrahim Ahmat, Lawas district officer Hussaini Hakim, State Women and Family Department director Noriah Ahmad and SMK Trusan principal Nornisa Asmaran.
Some of the girls want to continue their studies, some want to be moved elsewhere to continue their pregnancy, some don’t want to marry and need help financially to care for the child. The committee can help in all these. It’s a holistic approach with help available in all districts. — Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Minister