East’s high teen pregnancy cases worrying

Eastern Province last January recorded 2, 946 cases of teenage pregnancies. The high cases of teenage pregnancies in the province is very worrying and surely something must be done to address the problem.

Girls as young as 13 years old fallen pregnant in some instances. This is not only shameful but also unfortunate.

The men responsibility for impregnating teenagers should be arrested to face the full wrath of the law. The perpetrators committed sexual crime notably defilement besides impregnating the teenage girls. Worse yet, most of the girls who were impregnated are below the age of 16.

Underage marriages in Eastern Province are equally a source of a concern. Some young girls are married off to men who are as old as their grandfathers.

However, teenage pregnancy is a deterrent to development in that some pregnant girls fail to go back to school. If this is not enough, some pregnant teenagers experience complications during childbirth. Worse still, the pregnant teenagers die during child birth.

The traditional leaders and other stakeholders should play a critical role in sensitising girls about the dangers of indulging in illicit sex. Illicit sex can culminate in unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including HIV/AIDS.

In a nutshell, it is true to mention here that cases of teenage pregnancies are not recorded in other provinces. This being the case, it is difficult to establish the number of teenagers who fall pregnant in other provinces.

The most important thing to do is to provide statistics regarding the number of teenagers falling pregnant in other provinces. This is vital in that it will assist in planning.