Malaysia sees more unwed teen pregnancies

Malaysia sees more unwed teen pregnancies

KUALA LUMPUR - The problem of teenagers becoming pregnant out of wedlock has reached worrying levels, with the nation recording 1,048 such cases from January to March last year.

This translates into an average of 12 teen pregnancies a day.

While the figures paint a grim picture, it is even more alarming considering that Malaysia is on track to record its highest number of teen pregnancies in four years.

Statistics by the state Health Department from its Teen Pregnancy Statistics Manual 2012 showed a spike in the number of maternal death among teens, with five cases recorded in the first three months last year, compared with 17 for the whole of 2012.

Data collected from adolescents who sought antenatal care in hospitals showed that 18,847 teen pregnancies were recorded in 2012, of whom 4,183 were unmarried.

Family Health Development division assistant deputy director Dr Nik Rubiah Nik Abdul Rashid said while there were many factors that contributed to unwanted teen pregnancy, lack of parental guidance was identified as the root of the problem.

"Parents are too busy working and fail to supervise their children's social activities.

"As children grow older, parents let their guard down and assume that their kids are independent enough."

Dr Nik Rubiah said communication among family members was crucial and parents should engage their children more to steer them on the right path.

"Parents should pay attention to children's activities; who their friends are and what they do with them."

Dr Nik Rubiah attributed poor knowledge of sexual reproductive health as one of the factors of unplanned pregnancies.

"Teenagers lacked information on sexual education, hence they were ill-equipped with information on how to have safe sex."

Parents, she said, should also be IT-savvy to monitor their children's activity in cyberspace.

"The emergence of new technology has provided a fresh challenge to parents.

"Always be aware of what your children are doing online."

Dr Nik Rubiah said while focusing on risk behaviour was one of the ways to address the problem, it was important to develop a protective environment.

"Teenagers are active and need to channel their energy, but unfortunately, we do not have enough recreational spaces for them."

She also said students with unwanted pregnancies were allowed to quit school before completion.

"This can affect the future of the student and the newborn.

"Students should be encouraged to finish school, or at least be equipped with vocational skills so that they can they can work to earn a living."

Dr Nik Rubiah said society could play a role to help by reducing the social stigma towards unmarried mothers and be more accepting.

"Some teenagers come to the clinics at a late stage.

"This is because they had been deliberating over the next step for a long time.

"There is shame involved.

"They are afraid of what the public might think.

"This can lead to problems such as teens engaging in unsafe abortions or even dumping their newborn."

Dr Nik Rubiah gave her assurance that teenagers who sought treatment in government clinics would have their confidentiality maintained.

"We do not want to scare teenagers. We have implemented a guide for trainers on how to take care of the teenagers' confidentiality without sidelining the law and their parents' right to know."

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