TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Sexpurecentric Friendship Leaders manual for the month of May 2008
WHO IMPREGNATED JOAN?
Introduction
This month we shall be trying to unravel the mystery behind teenage pregnancy. It is no longer news that the best selling product in our world right now is sex and one of the physical effect of sex is pregnancy which most people have learnt to overcome through abortion. However while some people have been able to survive it several others were not able to. Even several girls that got into early marriage as a result of the pregnancy find life so tough that they wished it never happened. So many of them are suffering because of abject poverty which ultimately affects the child.

Week 1 – Who Impregnated Joan?
The following statistics will help our study of this subject this month as we prepare for our annual conference:
- The World Health Organization estimated that 30 million legal abortions and 20 million clandestine (illegal) abortions occurred throughout the world each year in 1995 through 2000.
- In Nigeria, a study found that 72 percent of all deaths among women under age 19 are due to consequences of unsafe abortion.
- Moreover, young women who survive unsafe abortion may suffer complications leading to infertility
- Sexual activity among teenagers in Nigeria is high.
- Studies show that as many as 60% of boys and 48% of girls attending secondary school are sexually experienced by age 19.
- A study in one city showed that 55% of secondary school girls were sexually active before age 16.
- This level of sexual activity gives Nigeria one of the highest rates of teen motherhood in the world.
- As many as 146 out of every 1000 women who give birth in Nigeria are under 19 and 905,000 adolescents give birth annually
- In a study of 127 pregnant school girls in Nigeria:
- 52% were expelled from school,
- 20% were too ashamed to return,
- 15% could not return because their parents refused to pay school fees,
- and 8% were forced to marry.
- Without formal education, career opportunities, or any chance of achieving a desirable social standing, are severely limited
- Teenage girls account for 80% of unsafe abortion complications treated in Nigerian hospitals
- Many of these complications are life-threatening and result in permanent infertility.
- Complications from unsafe abortion are a leading contributor to Nigeria’s maternal mortality ratio: 800 per 100,000 live births.
How do girls that are meant to be in school become pregnant?
Who are the people that impregnate these girls?
Mention some of some of the cases of teenage pregnancy that you have witnessed and what happened to the girl and the guy thereafter.


Week 2 - Why was Joan impregnated?
Ignorance – who is to blame for the ignorance
Love syndrome – How come the guy isn’t willing to accept the pregnancy if he truly loves her.
Pressure – Why are girls not able to say no to sexual pressure from their boyfriends.
Rape – How do we prevent rape? Avoid visiting guys alone and be careful of the drink you are offered. Also avoid wild parties and vulnerable spots.
Misinformation – Is sex a proof of womanhood?
Lack of real men – Is there any man that can be trusted again?
Parental irresponsibility – No show of love and affection by parents.
Cultural beliefs – We naturally believe that ladies are the responsibility of men.

Week 3 - What are the effects of teenage pregnancy?
Let the people narrate different cases that they have witnessed and mention some of the effects on the girl/man.
- Education stops
- Emotional/psychological trauma
- Death/sterility through complications occasioned by abortion
- Forced marriage that they are not prepared for.
- Aborted destiny
- Cancer of the neck of the womb has been attributed to early exposure to sexual activities
- We lose/mess up potential destinies
- Mention other effects
Who suffers the consequence – The guy or the girl?
Is abortion a good option? Why not?
If the girl dies through abortion does the guy die with her?
How much can we trust

Week 4 - How do we prevent teenage pregnancy?

Knowing the devastating effect and the threat teenage pregnancy is posing to the actualization of our dreams what must we do to prevent it?

- Right Information – teach people and get them materials.
- Sense of responsibility – We must be responsible for ourselves and the young girls around us.
- Wealth creation – This will reduce vulnerability
- Positive self esteem – You must love yourself more than your boyfriend/anybody that wants sex from you.
- Right association – Evil communication corrupts good manners
- Accountability – We must hold guys accountable and probe them in their relationships
- Planning – Everybody must be taught to plan their life so that you can know the right time to start a relationship and not because everybody is doing it.
- Vision – We must paint a desired future for our ladies and expose the dangers of teenage pregnancy and abortion pose to the actualization of their dreams
- Mentoring – We must seek to mentor them so that we can raise a new generation of men and women that will be sexually pure.
- Love – We must love the people around us enough to encourage and challenge them and show them what true love is.
- Mention others
We must do everything possible to create enough awareness so that young girls and guys can get it right and cultivate quality friendship instead of getting into sexual relationships which they are not prepared for. We can make it happen and reduce teenage pregnancy in Nigeria