8/8/2014
GUATEMALA – Nearly 80,000 pregnancies in teenagers were reported between January and May this year in Guatemala, including 520 cases of girls below 14, the general Health Information System (SIGSA) said.
Most of the 79,254 cases – 11,605 – were registered in the central province of Guatemala, followed by the provinces of Huehuetenango and San Marcos, both located along the Mexican border.
Guatemala ranks 29 globally in adolescent fertility rates, behind 27 African nations and Nicaragua, according to a 2012 World Bank report.
The Government Observatory on Reproductive Health (OSAR) said that 70 percent of the pregnant teenage girls are Native Americans.
OSAR director Mirna Montenegro told Efe that “all sectors need to respond more effectively to actually prevent pregnancies.”
Montenegro recalled the case of a pregnant 13-year-old girl who came with her 15-year-old sister, who was also with a child.
“We need to have programs that empower the girls and these programs go hand-in-hand with our education system,” she said, adding that completing basic education would be a protective factor.
Between 2009 and May 2014, Guatemalan health authorities have recorded 5,725 pregnancies in girls below the age of 14.
One out of every two Guatemalans is under 20 years of age, according to official information.
source
GUATEMALA – Nearly 80,000 pregnancies in teenagers were reported between January and May this year in Guatemala, including 520 cases of girls below 14, the general Health Information System (SIGSA) said.Most of the 79,254 cases – 11,605 – were registered in the central province of Guatemala, followed by the provinces of Huehuetenango and San Marcos, both located along the Mexican border.
Guatemala ranks 29 globally in adolescent fertility rates, behind 27 African nations and Nicaragua, according to a 2012 World Bank report.
The Government Observatory on Reproductive Health (OSAR) said that 70 percent of the pregnant teenage girls are Native Americans.
OSAR director Mirna Montenegro told Efe that “all sectors need to respond more effectively to actually prevent pregnancies.”
Montenegro recalled the case of a pregnant 13-year-old girl who came with her 15-year-old sister, who was also with a child.
“We need to have programs that empower the girls and these programs go hand-in-hand with our education system,” she said, adding that completing basic education would be a protective factor.
Between 2009 and May 2014, Guatemalan health authorities have recorded 5,725 pregnancies in girls below the age of 14.
One out of every two Guatemalans is under 20 years of age, according to official information.
source
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