Health minister, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, has bemoaned the relatively low usage of contraceptives among young people aged between 15 and 19 years, which he placed at 24 per cent, while teenage pregnancy remains high at 19 per cent.

Shangula said this on Tuesday during the commemoration of World Population Day and the launch of the state of the world population report 2022 held at Rundu in the Kavango East Region.

Shangula said pregnancy and childbirth-related complications are the number one killers of girls aged 15 to 19 in developing countries.

“Access to information and contraceptives can therefore protect young people’s lives. The ministry is urging parents to discuss sexual reproductive issues with children, guide them and advise them on how to overcome the transition period from childhood to adulthood,” he said.

The minister said according to statistics received from the ministry of education, about 30 per cent of all the girls who drop out of school in Namibia do so as a result of teenage pregnancies.

In 2019 alone, 1 542 girls dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancies, representing 23.3 per cent of all recorded dropout cases of girls in the country.

The highly affected regions were Ohangwena, Omusati and Kavango East.

Shangula said his ministry will continue to ensure that contraceptives are accessible, affordable and available in a wide range of forms acceptable to consumers.

Government and stakeholders, he noted, will continue to invest in research to better understand the causes and consequences of unintended pregnancies and to spearhead contraceptive technologies that reduce side effects.

United Nations Population Fund Representative to Namibia, Sheila Roseau, who gave a statement on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said this year’s World Population Day falls during a milestone year, when the birth of the earth’s eight billionth inhabitant is anticipated.

He said amidst COVID-19; the climate crisis; wars and conflicts; humanitarian emergencies, as well as hunger and poverty, the world is in perilous state.

“We still live in a world of vast gender inequality and we are witnessing renewed assaults on women’s rights, including on essential health services. Complications related to pregnancy and childbirth are still the leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19,” Roseau said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency