Teenage pregnancy and Violence: A current public health problem.

Abstract

Every year, an estimated 21 million teenage girls aged 15–19 years become pregnant, and at least 777,000 births occur to adolescent girls younger than 15 years in developing countries. 1 Latin America has the world's second highest teenage pregnancy rate, with about 18 % of births to mothers under 20. Each year, one and a half million adolescent women aged 15 and 19 have babies in the region.2 Injuries, Violence, self-harm, and maternal conditions are the leading causes of death among adolescents and young adults. Pregnant teenagers are prime targets of different types of Violence. Violence and adolescent pregnancy are public health problems and risk factors for maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) prioritizes ending Violence against girls and child marriage.3,4