Stopping child marriage key to curbing teen pregnancies – WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised alarm over teenage pregnancy, calling it a sign of deep-rooted societal inequality.

In a statement released Wednesday April 23, 2025, WHO described teenage pregnancy as a global health emergency with serious physical and psychological consequences.

The organisation stressed that girls aged 15 to 19 face the highest risk, making pregnancy their leading cause of death globally.

Dr. Pascale Allotey, WHO’s Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health, said early pregnancies jeopardize the health and future of young girls.

She explained that teenage mothers suffer higher infection rates, more complications during childbirth, and increased risk of premature birth.

Allotey noted that the burden is heavier in low- and middle-income countries, where access to healthcare remains limited.

“Teenage pregnancies reflect fundamental inequalities,” she said, “which limit girls’ power to shape relationships and control their own futures.”

Each year, no fewer than 21 million adolescent girls in poorer countries become pregnant, WHO reported in its statement.

About half of these pregnancies are unintended, exposing girls to risks they are ill-equipped to manage.

Nine out of ten adolescent births happen among married girls, most before their 18th birthday, often due to child marriage.

WHO emphasized that child marriage remains a major driver of teenage pregnancies across many regions of the world.

The organisation urged governments to invest in education, financial inclusion, and employment opportunities for girls to prevent early pregnancies.

If all girls completed secondary school, child marriage rates could drop by nearly two-thirds, according to UNICEF.

The United Nations agency highlighted that education offers the most effective shield against early marriage and pregnancy.

Teenage pregnancy doesn’t only harm health; it disrupts education and leads many girls into cycles of poverty and dependence.

Young mothers often drop out of school, lose future job opportunities, and struggle to provide for their children.

WHO called on policymakers to act urgently to ensure girls stay in school and delay marriage until adulthood.

Despite challenges, WHO noted global progress over the past two decades in reducing adolescent birth rates worldwide.

In 2001, one in 15 girls gave birth before turning 20. By 2021, the figure improved to one in 25.

This drop signals that coordinated global efforts, including laws and community education, are beginning to show results.

WHO urged countries not to relent, warning that complacency could erase hard-won gains in reproductive health and girls’ rights.

Governments must prioritize girls’ health, rights, and education to build resilient, equal societies free from teenage pregnancy, (NAN).

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