Almost eight thousand girls became mothers he year past, according to yet study from the National Statistics Office (ONE) recently introduced.
The Yearbook of Vital Statistics, of the ONE revealed that in 2023, 7,616 girls between nine and 17 years of age age became mothers.
He pregnancy in teenagers and its lasting consequence, and the maternity early, can compromise the development of the country, as they have negative effects on health, development human and the possibilities of economic and social progress of the womenaccording to study Presented by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): “Consequences of Adolescent Pregnancy in the Dominican Republic.”
“The most immediate consequence of the pregnancy in adolescence and maternity Early interruption of educational trajectories of womenIn the Dominican Republic, being a mother in adolescence doubles the probability of discontinuity school“, he points out study from Unfpa 2022.
He adds that this lower level of education later translates into a lower level of remuneration when entering the labour market.
When you take into account the age of the pregnant up to 20 years, it was determined that in 2023 there were 18,545 births in this range.
“The age average of the mothers minors 20 years for the births registered was 17.56 years, slightly below the age established as a majority of age in the country”.
Between 9 and 14
In 2023, in the Dominican Republic 647 girls between nine and 14 age gave birth.
These 647 new mothers represent 0.41% of the total births occurred and registered in 2023, which were 156,024.
The total figure reflects a decrease of 8.26%, compared to the year previous (2022) when there were 170,069 births.
“It remains relevant to note that there were still births of women minors 15 years old, which represented 0.41% of the total, reflecting an increase of 0.07% compared to the year 2022 (0.34%)”, the report of the ONE.
When the figures are reviewed in depth, it can be seen that in 2023, one 9-year-old girl gave birth, three 11-year-olds, 15 at just 12 years old and another 122 at 13 years old. From this it can be deduced that there are 141 births belonging to girls 13 years old or younger. There were 506 of those aged 14 years or younger.
Likewise, 1,698 to those aged 14 and 15, 5,777 to those aged 16 and 17, and 10,929 to women 18 and 19 years old.
The age average of the mothers minors 20 years for the births registered in this year was 17.56 years, slightly below the age established as a majority of age in the country.
This is one reality for which it is due struggle to change.
The Dominican Republic is one of the countries in Central America and the Caribbean with the highest incidence of teenage pregnancies. More than 20% of young women between 15 and 19 years old become pregnant during their teenage years. An unwanted teenage pregnancy constitutes a serious violation of the sexual and reproductive rights of girls and adolescents, according to data from the UN. In addition, many of them are forced to leave their education at an early age, making them vulnerable to experiencing unequal power relations and aggression.
