Leaders and communities should protect teenage girls- Osotimehin

The Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin has called on World leaders to come up with policies and investments that aim at educating marginalized teenage girls and preserving their rights.

Osotimehin in a statement on this year’s World population day said marginalized girls including  those who are poor, out of school and subjected to harmful traditional practices, were vulnerable to poor reproductive health and more likely to become mothers while still children themselves, and should be protected to be more useful.

 The statement was made available by the Development Communications Network, DEVCOMS.

“Policymakers play an important role in ensuring that human rights are universal and thus enjoyed by all, including teenage girls, who worldwide face obstacles to their rights to education, health and freedom from violence. Communities, non-governmental organizations, youth-led groups, activists, faith-based institutions and girls themselves also have a vital role to play in shaping policies that affect their lives and in making sure that these policies are translated into real, positive transformation”.

 On its part the DEVCOMS said the hard economic times characterized by poverty and unemployment demanded that families embraced family planning to have few children that they could cater for.

“With the continuous rapid growth in the last 200 years, it has become very important for people on earth to realize and act on healthier lives and importance of small families”.

“ The population of the world continues to grow in spite of the socio-economic turns of poverty, unemployment, and pollution”.

 “There are concerns that this population explosion needs to be checked as it poses even more danger to mankind”. 

  “The World Population Day is celebrated  annually to create awareness about population growth, and focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues”.

 “ It also focuses on challenges presented by the world of 7.02 billion people”. 

“This year’s theme ‘Investing in Teenage Girls’ draws attention to the numerous challenges faced by teenage girls around the world who are forced by their families and communities into marriage, with resultant early pregnancy and debilitating condition from childbirth”.

“Studies have found that around the world, 10 percent of girls have initiated sex before the age of 15, about 3.2 million girls have gone through unsafe abortion, and the second leading cause of death among girls between the ages of 15 and 19 is complication from pregnancy and child birth. Despite prohibitions, child marriage remains widespread around the world. About 37,000 child marriages take place each day.”

“When teenage girls are empowered, know their rights and are given the tools to succeed, they are more likely to realize their full potential and become positive force for change in their families, communities and nation”.