Our South-East Asia Region accounts for 26% of the population of the planet and 29% of the global adolescent population.
Adolescents in our Region face both gender specific as well as shared health challenges, including high mortality, and morbidity rates. Nearly 670 adolescents die every day, mostly from preventable causes.
Almost 6 million teenage girls, aged 15 to 19, give birth annually in our Region. Adolescent pregnancy is closely linked to child marriage: a common harmful practice in the region, driven by underlying social, cultural, and gender norms.
Child marriage is a violation of girls’ fundamental human rights. It curtails their ability to make choices and to enjoy high standards of physical and mental health. It impedes their education and often hampers them from owning property. Women and girls who marry early also have a higher risk of experiencing domestic violence.
Adolescent mothers are less likely to continue going to school. This, of course, prevents them from developing skills and knowledge and holds them back from achieving their full potential. It traps them in cycles of dependency, reduced independence, and restricted economic opportunities.
Worryingly, adolescent pregnancies can affect future generations as well. Daughters of adolescent mothers are at a greater risk of early pregnancy themselves, perpetuating intergenerational cycles of poverty and poor health.
Adolescent mothers also have a much higher risk of dying from maternal causes, compared to women in their 20s and 30s.
These risks increase greatly as maternal age decreases, with adolescents under 16 years facing four times the risk of maternal death compared to women over 20 years.
Moreover, babies born to adolescents also face a significantly higher risk of death compared to babies born to older women.
Evidence shows that pregnant adolescents face poorer health coverage than adults, across many maternal care indicators. These include antenatal care, postnatal care, delivering with a skilled birth attendant, and access to family planning. Even if they do access care, these adolescents often lack the confidence to express their needs. They face greater humiliation and disrespect and receive poorer quality care than adults.
A substantial proportion of adolescent births are undesired. Moreover, there is a sizeable unmet need for contraception in every country. Information on puberty and sexual health in our Region is largely obtained from parents, friends, and the media – with minimal education provided in schools, or by health professionals.
It is high time that we reverse this trend. The unique physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and sexual development during adolescence necessitates special attention in national and international policies. Effective strategies to tackle adolescent pregnancy require cross-sectoral collaboration and equitable access to a variety of services.
As Regional Director of WHO’s South-East Region, one of my five Strategic Priority areas deals specifically with improving the health of women and children.
Those who traditionally suffer from health inequalities, such as girls and women, adolescents, and vulnerable populations, are the drivers of sustainable development, and powerful agents of change. Strategic investments in the health of women and girls yield multiplicative and multigenerational benefits beyond health.
Meanwhile, investments in adolescent health are essential for promoting healthy socio-economic development and preventing health risks and problems before their onset. This supports the wellbeing of the youth of today – who are the human capital of tomorrow.
I am very pleased that the SAARC Secretariat and UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia has organized this regional consultation on adolescent pregnancy. This consultation will help build consensus and an evidence base on adolescent pregnancy. It should help advance girls’ access to adolescent-friendly health services, health information and education in six of the countries of our WHO South-East Asa Region.
I commend you for taking this step, and I would like to reassure you that when it comes to the health of women and girls, you will always have a partner and ally in the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office.
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