2% of pregnancies in children under 15 years of age

Plan International expresses concern about the high indicators of teenage pregnancies that the Dominican Republic still maintains, with striking figures, since one in five girls under 18 is pregnant or has had children.

This was emphasized by Roland Angere, country director of Plan International, who said that although the country has managed to pass the law prohibiting child marriage, which is a crucial step, it still maintains a high rate of teenage pregnancies, to the point that 2% of them occur in children under 15 years of age.

She spoke on the subject when referring to the celebration of the Day of the Girl Child, on the 11th of this month, which has been held since 2012, approved as an initiative of Plan International, aimed at raising awareness about the prevention of teenage pregnancy. Since then, it has been celebrated every year with different activities.

This year, Plan International will carry out several activities; among them, on Tuesday 10, there will be a “tizada” or drawing with chalk on the floor with expressions against teenage pregnancy because they want to draw attention to the fact that this problem is still very high in the country.

Remember that teenage pregnancy, in addition to affecting their health because they are not physically prepared to have children, deprives girls of the opportunity to be educated and prepared to be professionals, and from an economic point of view, they do not have the chance to support their children.

The figures for early pregnancies, she said, increase poverty and the level of education since the 20% of teenage pregnancies rises to 50% if the girl only has a primary school education.

Plan International has been working in the country for 30 years. It is currently impacting 120 communities in the Southern region through its sponsorship system to work in the development of children’s rights in the communities.