Teenage pregnancy on the rise in SVG?

Tue, Dec 4, 2012

Editor: Teenage pregnancy is definitely on the rise in SVG. If one has to be in Kingstown on a regular basis, it would surely be obvious that within the next three to five years, this country will be seriously overpopulated. This situation will definitely cause many problems, both socially and economically. However, a large number of the pregnancies are teenage pregnancies.{{more}}

The home contributes a lot to teenage pregnancies in the sense that in many homes there is a lack of parental guidance and a lack of a father figure. Thus, children grow up with very little guidance, love and self worth. As a result, they search for love elsewhere and end up giving their love to a man who eventually, after pregnancy, walks out of her life and so the cycle goes around and around. What we have in many homes is lots of freedom for the children to do whatever he or she wants in the name of choices. There is also in many homes, a lack of supervision and communication which is key in training and guidance.

Another contributing factor to teenage pregnancy in some cases is society and peer pressure. For example, schoolgirls when they get together would talk about their boyfriends and sex. Thus, to feel accepted, the others do the same thing. So society paints a negative picture of someone who is considered a virgin and if a girl reaches certain age she is expected, according to society, to have a child. Also, since society accepts and even expects girls to be sexually active, then most girls feel they have to have sex, even at an early age, thus giving rise to pregnancy.

The economic situation can also cause teenage pregnancy. However, in these cases, mothers play an important role in encouraging their daughters to be sexually active and eventually get pregnant in exchange for financial reward. The mothers get some of the money their daughters receive from the man who claims he loves her daughter. That is why, in most cases, these under age girls who get pregnant do not report and place the man before the courts.

I know much more can be said concerning teenage pregnancies, but space and time do not allow. However, it must be borne in mind that there is a lack of role models in our society which contributes to such cases. Also the media, both printed and electronic, by their advertisements using girls as sex objects, promote sex as the way of life. The music on radios and movies on television play their part in promoting sex as a way of life. Thus, our teenagers experiment and as a result, despite the readily available condoms, pregnancies occur amongst the young people.

I, therefore, call upon the homes to build positive children by giving guidance, counselling and communication. Also, I call upon the media to act responsibly in advertisement and also let Christ help and guide our young people aright.

Kennard King