The trap of teen pregnancy in El Salvador

A prime cause for women to face lives in poverty was highlighted by Al Jazeera in an article titled The 'vicious cycle' driving teen pregnancy in El Salvador.   The article is a lengthy overview of how pregnancy at a young age, whether caused by lack of sexual education, lack of access to contraceptives, abuse or rape, traps young women in a cycle of poverty.   The scope of the problem:
Adolescents comprise one in three pregnancies in El Salvador. For girls who do become pregnant, dropping out of school is one of their only options. 
"In many cases, school principals say, 'We don't want them here. It will motivate other children to become pregnant,'" said Erika Guevara, a Ciudad Mujer Programmes Coordinator. 
According to the United Nations, 60 percent of young girls in El Salvador who become pregnant between the ages of 10 and 17 had already dropped out of school before becoming pregnant. Of those who were in school when they got pregnant, the majority dropped out within two years of having a baby.... 
Many teenage mothers who have dropped out of school are typically expected to work in the home of their partner's or father of their child's family or the informal sector to generate some income. 
A "vicious cycle" develops, whereby their daughters are raised in poverty and become teenage mothers themselves, according to health clinic practitioners and officials with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
 Read the rest of the article here.   I agreed with one commenter who urged president Bukele to pay attention to this issue if he wants to repair the social fabric of El Salvador.

Teen pregnancy is a topic I have often felt called to write about in El Salvador Perspectives. Some of the past articles include:



Comments

Post a Comment