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According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), an estimated 21 million girls aged 15 to 19 and two million girls under 15 become pregnant in developing regions annually.
Our part of the world, sub-Saharan Africa, has the highest prevalence of adolescent pregnancies and accounts for about 28 per cent of adolescent mothers. Demographic Health Survey (DHS) data reveals that between 26 and 33 per cent of East African women aged 20-24 had a live birth before the age of 18.
The health and socioeconomic consequences of adolescent pregnancies are both dire and inter-generational. Pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19 in low and middle-income countries. Adolescent pregnancy remains a major contributor to maternal and child mortality. Moreover, the emotional and psychological needs of pregnant adolescents are greater than those of older women.
More often, pregnant adolescent mothers drop out of school and a majority do not return to school after they deliver their babies. As a result, they have low skill levels and limited access to employment opportunities, which often touches off a vicious and inter-generational cycle of low accumulation of vital capitals – human, economic and social.
Invariably, according to the World Bank, the impact and associated costs of adolescent pregnancy and early marriage are manifested through: High fertility rates and rapid population growth; poor learning and educational attainment outcomes; weak participation in the labour force and low earnings; and low participation in decision-making at all levels of society. Moreover, adolescent pregnancies and associated early marriage reduce future earnings for girls by an estimated nine per cent.
A recent study by the World Bank estimates that the cost of adolescent as a share of GDP could be as high as 30 per cent or as low as one per cent over a girl’s lifetime, depending on the assumptions underlying the calculations.
The economics of adolescent pregnancy are important. However, they underestimate the true social cost of adolescent pregnancy because economic models focus narrowly on lower productivity due to discontinuation of human capital development.
Tanzania has one of the world’s highest adolescent pregnancy and birth rates. According to UNFPA, one in six girls aged 15-19 becomes pregnant. But a law that dates back to the 1960s does not allow girls to return to public schools after they deliver their babies.
In Kenya, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed is implementing a re-entry policy that requires secondary schools to provide support services to help young mothers re-enter school. Last year she directed Education officials to ensure KCPE candidates who become pregnant enrolled in high school.
Amina’s leadership must be praised and emulated across the world. Pregnancy must not be an excuse for denying young women the right to education. As President Barack Obama said, we can’t play with just half of the team.
Alex O. Awiti is the Vice Provost of Aga Khan University