Pregnancy can have a profound impact on the health and well-being of young girls, while also hampering wider socio-economic development.
The Asia-Pacific region is home to about two-thirds of the world’s young people and adolescents need better sexual and reproductive health services and education.
Reducing the number of unplanned teenage pregnancies in the region can transform health and economic outcomes, but to achieve this, committed cooperation and investment are essential.
The Asia-Pacific region is home to more than 60 percent of the world’s youth. With the growth of the number of teenagers, the problem of teenage pregnancy is becoming more and more urgent.
Up to 3.9 million unintended teenage pregnancies occur in the region each year, creating a huge and grossly underestimated ripple effect. For millions of girls, pregnancy limits their education and employment opportunities, thereby limiting their long-term economic progress. Given that teenage pregnancy rates tend to be higher among girls with less education or lower economic status, this also perpetuates the cycle of poverty and inequality in low – and middle-income countries.
For young girls in developing countries, pregnancy can have serious implications for their health. Of the millions of teenage pregnancies in the Asia-Pacific region, 43% are unintended. An estimated 3.6 million women undergo unsafe abortions each year. Diseases related to pregnancy and childbirth remain the leading cause of death among adolescent girls.
The most vulnerable women and girls urgently need access to basic reproductive health care and education. But across Asia and the Pacific, as many as a third (34 million) of women aged 15-24 do not have access to modern contraceptive methods that meet their family planning needs. According to the United Nations Population Fund, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, less than a quarter of sexually aroused adolescents are using modern contraceptive methods.
Less than 35 per cent of young people receive information on sexual and reproductive health at school.
No country in the region currently offers comprehensive sex education as part of the school curriculum that meets international standards.
More than one in two adolescent girls reported at least one serious problem with access to health care.
Girls who drop out of school because of pregnancy also have a profound economic impact. The humanitarian organization Plan International estimates that developing countries could achieve an average 10 percent increase in GDP by ensuring that all girls complete secondary school by 2030.
The benefits of investing in health care and education far outweigh the costs. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy NGO, every additional $1 invested in contraceptive services is expected to save $1.95 in maternal, newborn and abortion care, largely by reducing unwanted pregnancies. Unfpa believes that by adequately meeting the need for contraception, low – and middle-income countries can nearly halving their annual spending on abortion and post-abortion care from $2.8 billion to $1.5 billion.
Working together to address teenage pregnancy
Transforming health and economic outcomes by reducing teen pregnancy requires committed collaboration and investment. With this in mind, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, UNICEF, Plan International and healthcare company Organon, hosted a two-day event in October 2023 that brought together more than 100 youth leaders and networks, government representatives, development organization partners and private institutions.
Some of the youth leaders participated in a two-day event in October 2023 hosted by the International Planned Parenthood Federation in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, UNICEF, Plan International and the healthcare company Organon.
Participants explored evidence-based approaches to addressing adolescent unplanned pregnancy in Southeast Asia. They identified gaps and opportunities for change and made the following recommendations for urgent next steps:
Governments should build integrated, multisectoral, rights-based policy frameworks that directly address the social and other determinants of health in the context of gender inequalities faced by adolescent girls. This will recognize the interlinkages between the social, economic and sexual and reproductive health vulnerabilities of girls.
There is an urgent need to increase investment in the collection of sexual and reproductive health data. This will contribute to better understanding of the causes of unwanted pregnancies and their impact on the rights of women and girls. This information can help us make more sustainable policy and investment decisions that can have a positive impact.
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health services must be integrated into universal health coverage plans. This should be integrated into all relevant health policies, strategies and programmes that address the needs of adolescent groups, especially girls.
Girls need access to inclusive, quality education in a safe school environment. This should promote gender equality as part of comprehensive sexuality education to empower girls’ agency and decision-making power.
Invest in sexual and reproductive health
These changes must be supported by strong partnerships and a whole-of-society approach. In 2022, IPPF member associations and partners in the East, Southeast Asia and Oceania region provided comprehensive health and reproductive health services, including contraceptives, to 19.3 million visits.
These services are provided by a range of institutions, from static clinics to mobile clinics and community services. Working with organizations on the ground, the IPPF Regional Chapter for East, South-East and Oceania ensures that 3.6 million people in the most vulnerable and marginalized communities, including women and girls, have access to basic care.
Organon’s Her Promise Access Initiative has already achieved nearly half of its goal of preventing an estimated 120 million unintended pregnancies by 2030 by providing access to affordable contraception to 100 million girls and women in low – and middle-income countries.
It also launched its Her Plan is Her Power initiative in 2023, a $30 million initiative to scale up efforts to protect women through global advocacy and investment in community-driven solutions, particularly in emerging markets.
Unplanned teenage pregnancy has serious health, social and economic consequences. The situation is further complicated by systemic and structural barriers that limit access to modern contraceptive methods and deny women and girls control over their sexual and reproductive health.
Public-private partnerships and collaboration between governments and advocacy groups are critical to effecting change. We owe it to young girls in the Asia-Pacific region to foster collaboration and increase accountability to address teenage pregnancy and its effects. These solutions should not only be good for the economy, but must also be able to transform health outcomes and save lives.