Introduction
The issue of pregnant teenagers has been taken as an essential subject in distinct ethnic groups, socio-economic backgrounds, groups, and religions. Different studies have indicated that technological influence, parental absence, and failure in contraceptives are a few of the major causes (Bhukuth and Ballet, 2019). Around the globe, teenage pregnancy is a common problem with at least three-quarters of all the adolescent girls engaging in their first sexual encounter by the age of 19 years. One of the countries that have encountered significant problems in teenage pregnancy is Mauritius, where the issue has become alarming. Mauritius Family Planning Welfare Association (MFPWA) records that at least 3800 adolescent girls get pregnant each year (Bhukuth and Ballet, 2019). For instance, in 2011, MFPWA recorded 6000 cases due to reasons such as aggression, parental absence, abuse, and sexual vulnerability (Bhukuth and Ballet, 2019). This essay explores teenage pregnancy in Mauritius by looking at causes of teenage pregnancy and the impact of teenage motherhood, the factors that may be responsible for the crisis of teenage pregnancy in Mauritius, and the various institutions and policymakers working towards the prevention of teenage pregnancy.
Causes of Teenage Pregnancy
Factors causing teenage pregnancy include; peer pressure, where a female wants to fit in a particular group and hence, allow her friends to influence her sexual decisions without being aware of the consequences (Harmon, n.d). Parental absence is another factor whereby girls that have limited guidance are most likely to get pregnant; this is because nowadays, parents are busy with their lives and prevent themselves from giving their children enough support when they become teenagers. Teenagers need guidance when it comes to making decisions such as sex (Hillcoat-Nalletamby, 2018). A teenager that can not talk to her parents about intercourse turns to friends who are also misinformed. Lack of knowledge is another issue due to a lack of sexuality education in schools and at home. Teenagers lack the understanding that they need to take responsible and conversant decisions about their sexual activities. Another cause is technological influence where teenagers have gained access to pornographic pictures an films, through their mobile devices. Most teenagers copy what they are attracted to. Other teenagers have been abused sexually, especially those that use drugs (Harmon, n.d). Some teenagers drink alcohol and do not realize when they agree to sex. Contraceptive failures and social background are significant issues with most teenagers with low social, economic status, and less educated parents engaging in early sexual activities, as ascertained by the Livestrong Foundation official website (Hillcoat-Nalletamby, 2018).
Impacts of Teenage Pregnancy in Mauritius
Teenage mothers encounter issues with their health, socio-economic challenges, suicidal thoughts, and poverty. Regarding health, most adolescent mothers can quickly obtain hypertensive disorder, involving low weight babies and premature births. Researchers have identified hypertensive disease to be caused by fear or lack of finances to seek medical aid (Emambokus and Oogarah-Pratap, 2019). Infants born of teenage mothers also might suffer from mental issues.
Pregnancy interferes with a teenager’s education process, causing young girls to drop out of school or attain minimal education. Lack of knowledge leads to economic issues, with young mothers finding it hard to secure a good job (Emambokus and Oogarah-Pratap, 2019). Also, a teenage mother can commit suicide due to stress, isolation, and exclusion from their social groups. It is easy for a teenage mother to encounter poverty, especially when they come to form an economically disadvantaged family. However, some adolescent mothers are motivated by having a child and seek ways to escape poverty.
The child born of a teenage mother, especially daughters, are most likely to become adolescent mothers since they grow up in a surrounding that is almost similar to the ones their mother grew in when they became pregnant. A significant expectation is that most daughters born of teenage mothers can hardly escape poverty, and find themselves in the same pregnancy cycle and situations (Emambokus and Oogarah-Pratap, 2019). When compared to daughters born of older adults, those of teenagers can hardly cope with their psychological issues, while others perform poorly in tests.
Policy Makers and Institutions for Intervention
An interview conducted among women aged between 15 and 19 in Mauritius in 2002 by the Contraceptive Prevalence Survey (CPS), at least 9 percent of teenagers were mothers and 3 percent pregnant with their first child (Morabito, Figueroa and Vandenbroeck, 2018). Knowledge of family planning methods has been outlined as of the significant problems in teenage pregnancy, especially on the female condom, the injectable, and male condoms. The Mauritius Family Planning Welfare Association (MFPWA) reports sexual abuse of at least 35 young teenagers that has resulted in pregnancy, with the majority of victims between ages 12 and 15 (Morabito et al., 2018). Basic figures and facts regarding reproductive and sexual health in Mauritius of youth between age 10 to 24 continues to be overwhelming (Morabito et al., 2018). MFPWA was founded to provide birth control services to adults but has started helping youths as well, and adolescents as teenage pregnancy persist. The organization offers sex education in schools and is also centers for judicial assistance and psychosocial counseling for sexual assault victims. MFPWA is useful in the establishment of excellent communication with teenagers to be able to help them during pregnancies. Teenagers experience some difficulties during pregnancy, but with the aid of service providers, the girls can be comfortable and in conducive surroundings. With the World Health Organisation defining teenagers to be individuals between ages 10 to 24 years old, the number of teenage pregnancies is set to increase in developing countries (Santhya and Jejeebhoy, 2015). The many industrial and social changes taking place in Mauritius have eroded most traditional structures and have resulted in less parental control, increasing rates of sexuality, and pregnancy. The Statistical Division of the Ministry of Health in Mauritius has registered many pregnancy cases with 126 cases recorded in Rodrigues by 2016 (Morabito et al., 2018). Policymakers suggest that to combat sexual reproduction, it is essential to educate teenagers on risky sexual behavior and the correct use of contraceptives. Teenagers require necessary information on how they can protect themselves and their reproductive health (Santhya and Jejeebhoy, 2015). Also, teenagers should develop sexual decision making and communication skills to ensure that they do not just engage in sex. Mauritius' parents also have to be aware of the fact that sex education begins at home.
In Mauritius, institutions like the Ministry of Gender Equality, Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, Child Development Unit, Child Development, and Family Welfare and Family Support Bureau are working towards prevention teenage pregnancy (Santhya and Jejeebhoy, 2015). Distinct service providers keep working on the problem of teenage pregnancy through; implementation of sex education in secondary schools and sex programs for the youth on economic self-efficacy; through these programs, the youth can be assisted in their process of learning by making them aware that they are capable of making right decisions. Policymakers advocate for the provision of affordable health services for young girls and boys, through campaigns in the media that enhance teenager talks in schools and public places (Santhya and Jejeebhoy, 2015). Parents in Mauritius are encouraged to talk freely to their children about a romantic lifestyle and sexual health and spend tie listening to their problems while at the same time providing them with tools for protection. Policymakers have provided birth control services and have ensured that contraceptives are also available. Counseling is accessible for young mothers that are striving to live an independent and stable lifestyle.
The organization, Action Familiale, has the aim of providing birth control and implementation of sex education. The Mouvement D’aide la Maternite is a non-governmental organization that welcomes teenagers and mothers to be for support and assistance, and have weekly services that young teenage mothers are prepared to deal with childbirth and care. This organization also works in conjunction with the prevention of adolescent pregnancy by having continuous sessions with teenagers, where they are given information on proper sexual activities.
Mauritius has various laws to curb teenage pregnancy, with the most significant being the Child Protection Act (CPA), which has been coordinated with the national laws, and whose goal is securing victims of neglect and mistreatment. The CPA ascertains that a child is a peso below 18 years old (Santhya and Jejeebhoy, 2015). A national gender policy has also been established for recommendations on the gender needs of adolescents and young people. The National Youth Policy, for instance, was found to empower millennials and has a section for Population and Family Life education with significant objectives of; improvement of life skills in young people, consolidation of counseling services and building of capacity of the youth and promotion networks with agencies that are structured for youth activities.
Conclusion
Teenage pregnancy is an issue of concern in the modern era and leads to school dropouts, abortion, suicide, and financial consequences. The family and the school need to take an active part in grooming children towards good citizenship and the acquisition of proper moral values. The society will be run smoothly is youngsters are provided with enough information, hence the government, that plays a significant role in this fight, will have an easier time. While teenage pregnancy is considered a taboo, society can sensitize it to ensure fewer impacts.
To some extent, adolescents engage in sex as if it is a major preoccupation, going for sex drives with less guidance. Teenage mothers emerge from both high socio-economic and low socio-economic backgrounds, but the low-income ones face more significant financial problems. Most pregnant teenagers are from Indo-Mauritia and from rural areas who struggle to make ends meet. With proper policies, and support, teenagers can avoid early pregnancy, and those already pregnant can quickly get help and regain stability.
