Fatimah: Number of teenage pregnancies worrying
SARIKEI: Teenage pregnancy is Sarawak is still a worrying problem for it accounts to about 6.4 per cent to 9.9 per cent of total registered pregnancies, which is way higher than the national index of 2.4 per cent to 4.1 per cent.
Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, said the setting up of ‘One Stop Teenage Pregnancy Committee’ (OSTPC) in 2014 was aimed at addressing the problem.
She said this at the launching ceremony of Sarikei Divisionallevel OSTPC and Social Law Road Show at Sarikei Innovation Centre here yesterday. She said through OSTPC, it is hoped that teenage pregnancies could be reduced by 10 per cent annually.
She was, however, pleased to note that the number of teenage pregnancy cases had recorded a drop of 14.1 per cent from 2,480 in 2016 to 2,130 in 2017.
All divisions, except Sri Aman, Limbang and Sibu, have succeeded in reducing teenage pregnancy cases by 10 per cent in 2017. Sri Aman recorded 56.7 per cent increase, Limbang (17.3 per cent) and Sibu (no change).
Sarikei recorded a decrease by 33 cases or 24.6 per cent from 134 in 2016 to 101 in 2017. It has, however, recorded 57 cases this year (until June).
Another cause for concern, she added, was that many teenagers who gave birth were not married, which led to more social problems.
In 2016 and 2017, 54.1 per cent and 54.6 per cent respectively of pregnant teenagers in Sarawak were not married. In Sarikei, the rate is 53 per cent and 56.4 per cent in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Although child abandoning cases have shown a sharp decrease from 10 in 2016 to three in 2017, eight cases were already recorded in the fi rst half of this year.
Fatimah said they would embark on more awareness programmes with strategic partners to efficiently and effectively address the (teenage pregnancy) issue, adding that social and economic problems had to be addressed concurrently to ensure the wellbeing of the people was taken care of.
This year, her ministry, through Social development Council, would hold two social intervention programmes ‘ Kesedaran dan Advokasi Pendidikan Seksual’ which is being held at SMK Meradong from yesterday till Sept 29, and at SMK Bandar Sarikei next month.
Sarikei Resident Mohd Junaidi Mohidin who is Sarikei Division OSTPC chairman, Sarawak National Registration Dept director Jasni Jubli who is also a member of OSTPC, deputy Resident Abang Mohd Porkan Abang Budiman, and divisional Welfare officer Tang Kee Lee were among those present at the function yesterday.