[From Associated Press]
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) — Girls who give birth before the age of 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s, the U.N. said Thursday, focusing its annual children’s survey on the health of their mothers.
Every year, 70,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19 die in childbirth or from pregnancy complications, UNICEF director Ann Veneman said at the launch of the organization’s annual report.
“This is not only a tragic personal loss for the family; it also leaves a long-term impact on the health and well-being of children and the development of communities and countries,” Veneman said.
The 160-page survey paints a bleak picture of the risks of teenage pregnancies, which are prevalent in the developing world.
“The State of the World’s Children 2009” says that the younger a girl is when she becomes pregnant, the greater the health risks for her and her infant.
Worldwide, more than 60 million women who are currently aged 20-24 were married before they were 18, with the most child marriages being in South Asia and in Africa.
If a mother is under the age of 18, her infant’s risk of dying in its first year of life is 60 percent greater than that of an infant born to a mother older than 19.
In addition, the report says adolescent wives are susceptible to violence, abuse and exploitation. Young brides are often forced to drop out of school, have few work opportunities and little chance to influence their own lives.
“If young girls are not in school, they are more vulnerable,” South African Health Minister Barbara Hogan said at the launch. “It’s not just a health issue; it is about the status of young women and girls.”
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