| Poverty, violence, unemployment and lack of opportunities are just a few influences that drive teenagers engage to early sexual activities. Guyana has been recorded as having the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the region.Ninety-seven out of every 1,Nike Air Max 97 Ireland,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19,China Cheap Jerseys, according to the State of the World Population 2013 Report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), become pregnant.Each year, roughly 7.3 million girls below the age of 18 give birth,NFL Jerseys From China, and two million of those are younger than 15. The overwhelming majority lives in developing countries. A joint syllabus was developed with United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Guyana in 2010 to strengthen parliamentary capacity to play a role, including mainstreaming of children and women’s issues into its work.The Child Protection Agency developed a programme to help young teens stay in school even after they have given birth. The Country Programme 2012-2016 has three multi-sectoral Programme Components (PCs) that define its structure. Strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation which focus on upstream work and will support the production of disaggregated data and critical analysis and knowledge affecting children and women.In Guyana, the Ministry of Health has put in place many services to help young teen mothers. “We try to provide a strand of antenatal services, testing and counselling screening of blood groups and distribution of sprinkles (post-natal nutrition supplement) and health care vouchers to our young mothers… an adolescent health unit has been developed to educate our youths and also try to eradicate this dilemma”,Authentic Jerseys For Sale, said Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health.He also noted, “In 2012, a total of 13,057 live births were delivered for the under 17 age range…while between the ages of 18 and 19 was a mere 17.5 per cent, the Rural and Hinterland areas are more prevalent to this dilemma and as such,Wholesale Stitched Jerseys, we are trying to expand our focus to these areas and make it a community effort”.Guyana’s most recent case is a 13-year-old student of Wakapoa Secondary School, who gave birth to twins at the Suddie Hospital Complex, in Essequibo, recently. The teenager who hails from the community of Wakapoa, Region Two, was left in the care of her aunt, Norma James, for almost five years, after her mother along with her husband,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, Trevor Abrams, were charged with the murder of 54-year-old Wilfred Williams, a/k”Willo”, of Grant Friendship Canal. The couple is currently on remand.Teenage Pregnancy is not the symbol of a broken society, as claimed by many politicians, but can be a positive force for good. Research describes how teenage parenthood has been linked by politicians and the media to “moral and cultural breakdown”. It says that it should be seen as “more opportunity than catastrophe”.“Extra after-school programmes and activities are lacking in our schools…Sports facilities, playgrounds and other facilities must be upgraded and introduced…our teenagers must have more alternatives daily,” said a UN representative addressing the issue of teenage pregnancy.In 2010, a sexual offence law was established to enhance the fight against sexual violence. A constitutional commission on the Rights of the Child was inaugurated, though it was yet to become fully functional and make its existence a reality.All boys and girls in Guyana have access to essential health care and educational services to ensure a good start to life, and completion of a basic education in a protected and child friendly environment by 2011. This should delay teenage pregnancy.According to the Child Survival and development programme, a total fund of US$944,250.37 was donated by Thematic; US fund for UNICEF; UK fund for UNICEF; Canadian UNICEF committee to enhance this said programme.Violence, abuse, and neglect are damaging to all aspects of child and adolescent development. Preventing and responding to violence and abuse is essential to ensuring children’s rights. UNICEF works in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, and with all parties to prevent violence and advance the protection of children throughout Guyana.There are five programme areas that align with the PCs. These include Child Survival, Child Protection, Learning and Development, Adolescent Development and Participation and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. |
