Solutions to teenage pregnancy in Vietnam.
The importance of sex education
Teenage pregnancy has been a social issue for a long time. Teenage pregnancy is not only a health issue; it also limits girls’ potential by limiting educational opportunities, restricting teenagers’ life choices, and plunging young mothers and their communities into poverty. Teenage pregnancy is a problem that must be addressed as a country develops, and Vietnam is no exception.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), millions of girls are married at a young age, only to become pregnant and give birth when they are not physically, emotionally, or socially mature enough to be mothers. Globally, one in every three young women between the ages of 20 and 24 (roughly 70 million people) marries before their 18th birthday. If current trends continue, 142 million girls will be married before the age of 18 within the next decade (as of 2020). This means that 14.2 million girls will marry before reaching the age of 18, or 39,000 girls will marry every day. And in Vietnam, according to statistics from the Department of Maternal and Child Health (Ministry of Health), Vietnam has approximately 300 to 400 thousand abortions at the age of 15–19 reported each year, with 60–70 percent being students. Although the abortion rate in Vietnam has decreased in the last ten years, the abortion rate among adolescents and young adults has increased, accounting for more than 20% of cases. Specifically, a recent conference report from the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology revealed that the reality of large abortions in adolescents accounts for a relatively high rate, accounting for more than 10% of total abortions. The aforementioned high-profile abortions are most common among schoolchildren and students.
Getting pregnant as a teen comes with physical and emotional challenges that some kids are not ready to face. When teenagers are discovered to be pregnant, it appears that there are only two options: abortion or childbirth. Both approaches have consequences not only for the mothers and babies, but also for the societies in which they live. Unmarried, pregnant teenagers may face social discrimination, and they may not receive the support they require to complete their studies, find work, and reintegrate into society. If the mother decides to terminate the pregnancy, the negative consequences can vary greatly depending on the stage of the pregnancy. However, the mother will face both mental and physical problems. Terminating a pregnancy may have medical consequences that affect fertility and future pregnancies, as well as complications such as uterine perforation, incomplete abortion, and pelvic infection. Mentally, adolescents who have an induced abortion may experience long-term psychological effects such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, guilt feelings, sleep problems, and anxiety disorders. On the other hand, if the mother decides to give birth to the baby, some long-term and hard-fought problems might appear in addition to mental and physical issues. Teenagers who become pregnant at a young age are unable to pursue higher education due to additional responsibilities, increasing their chances of living in poverty, being unable to maintain a stable job, and ending up in an abusive home. Moreover, teenage pregnancy is typically regarded as a social quandary, and young parents are subjected to public humiliation and criticism. Teen pregnancy is considered a social stigma, and teen parents must bear a bad reputation, which may result in a lack of support from the teen’s family. In the long run, humiliation, and embarrassment, as well as a lack of social support, can lead to depression.
There are numerous reasons for adolescent pregnancy; some of these reasons will be discussed in this essay. During the teenage period, most of the teenagers like to make many friends. Friends include both girls and boys, this creates a lot of intimacy between each other. And sometimes the friendship becomes so close that it becomes more than a friend. This is also one of the leading causes of adolescent pregnancy, especially now that teenagers can easily communicate with others thanks to the development of the Internet and technology. In addition, the widespread use of social media with a variety of sex-related content plus the curiosity in sex influence teenagers’ attitudes and behaviors towards sex; younger teenagers regard having sex as a common thing, and a lack of knowledge about sex at a young age increases the likelihood of unwanted teenage pregnancy. Furthermore, the appearance of many dating apps with lax age restrictions has contributed to rejuvenation in the age of sex. The next cause of adolescent pregnancy is peer pressure or peer influence, many teenagers are not content with what they do but rather mimic and desire what their peers do. As a result of their lack of knowledge, they may engage in unprotected sex like their friends. The next cause of unwanted teenage pregnancy is unwanted sexual intercourse. Rape does occur and is one of the causes of teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy can be caused by rape by boyfriends, family members, or even strangers. However, many teenagers experience more subtle forms of pressure. Most adolescent girls who engage in sexual activity, particularly those who do so before the age of 15, say they wish they had waited. However, they frequently feel pressure from their boyfriends: three out of every four girls say they have sex because their boyfriends want them to. Whether or not they become pregnant, the majority of these teenagers regret it later. And the foremost cause of teenage pregnancy is lack of sex education at school and lack of guidance from parents, Vietnam perfectly exemplify this case. Due to cultural background, the majority of our Vietnamese parents overlook the importance of educating their children about teen pregnancy. Parents believe that discussing sex or other personal matters with their adolescent kids will lead to them doing the forbidden, while some parents consider banning it. If parents keep this mindset, hiding such important information from their teenage kids about early sex and how to avoid teenage pregnancy, they will be destroying their children’s future. Moreover, teenagers are usually shy and try to avoid talking about this article with their parents, therefore sex education at school is extremely important. But, due to the same reason, students are rarely taught sex education or given contraceptive guidance at school. Next reason is the limited access to birth control, in some remote areas of Vietnam, buying contraceptives might be difficult, in some cases, teenagers shy away from these for fear of being exposed. The last reason is that in some remote areas, underaged marriage still happens.
The most efficient and promising solution to adolescent pregnancy is to universally educate about sexuality within schools. Every school should provide sex education to adolescents starting at the age of 13 once a year. Teachers should be equipped and trained to provide sufficient knowledge to students in times of need. Every year, schools should organize a sex education class giving instruction on contraception as well as talk about the health risks of unprotected sex and teenage pregnancies, which should be attended by experts or doctors. Children should be supported not to be shy and share openly about their feelings and experiences related to sexuality. Guidance and education within families are no less important than in school, families should address the topic of sexuality without any socio-cultural resistance. In order to achieve it, parents should learn how to talk and share openly with their kids, which can be accomplished through professional courses with coaches or through books. Parents should have the ability to provide basic knowledge to their children, including sex education. This solution assists teenagers, both boys and girls, in becoming more self-aware of their activities and behaviors. The next solution is to strictly control the influence of media on children. On a family level, parents should supervise their children’s social media contents until they reach the age of 14, and on a macro level, governments should impose strict rules on social media companies regarding filtering contents for children. The third solution is insurance for contraception, which should be easily accessible to teenagers. Selling condoms in vending machines is a promising way to avoid children’s shyness and fear of being exposed. Another important thing is to always protect children from sex abuse. Encouraging children to set goals for their life and career, emphasizing the value of education, these solutions can help teenagers to stay on track, away from early pregnancies. Parents should talk to their children and warn them about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as early pregnancy. It is also a good idea to encourage children to make positive and helpful friends. In remote areas, however, the options for preventing teenage pregnancy are quite limited. In recent years, the government’s strict policies prohibiting underage marriage in Vietnam have yielded some positive results. Nonetheless, there is still a long way to go.
In conclusion, there is no single remedy or solution that can prevent all unplanned teenage pregnancies. Among the healthy developments for adolescents are family understanding, effective education, encouragement, a safe school, and communities. Programs and solutions that promote these healthy developments are the only solutions to teenage pregnancy problems.
Sources
Qamar, Sadiya. “11 Negative Effects Of Teenage Pregnancy On Society.” MomJunction, 24 Dec. 2015, www.momjunction.com/articles/effects-of-teen-pregnancy-on-society_00384725.
10 Tips for Parents to Help Their Children Avoid Teen Pregnancy | Cooperative Extension | University of Delaware. (2019). University of Delaware. https://www.udel.edu/canr/cooperative-extension/fact-sheets/avoid-teen-pregnancy-parenting-tip/
Porte, V. (2022, January 10). The Causes and Effects of Teenage Pregnancy. LSPN. https://lspn.org/the-causes-and-effects-of-teenage-pregnancy/
“ Teenage pregnancy ‘alarmingly high’ ” Ministry of Health, 2019.
