Teenage Pregnancies On The Rise In Kenya As Lockdown Impact Schools

Confinement they say is a necessary preventive measure during outbreaks of significant diseases, but studies have shown it can have a far-reaching and substantial deleterious psychological impact in the population subjected to isolation

COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown which was intended to bring about a sense of fear and anxiety around the globe and amongst individuals has led to a far reaching consequences; leading to a phenomenon that has led to short term as well as long term psychosocial and mental health implications for children and adolescents.

Global lockdowns could also lead to rising rates of adolescent pregnancy, non-governmental organisations working on reproductive health have warned.

In Kenya, some preliminary data suggests that this is already happening.

In the far northern town of Lodwar, teenage pregnancies among clients of the International Rescue Committee aid group nearly tripled to 625 in June-August this year, compared with 226 in the same period a year earlier, IRC data show.

In the nearby refugee camp of Kakuma, adolescent pregnancies among clients jumped to 51 in the March-August 2020 period, compared with 15 in the same period in 2019.

At the clinic that Bosibori one teenager who got pregnant during the lockdown, attended for antenatal visits – often with her classmate, who also became pregnant around the same time as her – the number of expectant girls has been climbing.

And more pregnant girls may be skipping doctors’ visits altogether.

“We know that young girls who get pregnant do not access healthcare services like adult females because of the judgment,” said Ademola Olajide, the United Nations Population Fund representative in Kenya.

That makes them more vulnerable to health complications and unsafe abortions, he added.