REPORT MAPPING MEDIA HOUSES FOR SAY IT LOUD RADIO DRAMA Produced By: Tariro Chikumbirike
[email protected] 1 1. Introduction Early Unintended Pregnancy (EUP) continues to be a major public health concern in the Sub- Saharan region, with adolescent girls experiencing the highest rates of pregnancy in the world (UNESCO 2018). The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation, with the specific country imposed lockdowns significantly contributing to an increase in EUP as young people has to spend most of their time not in school. According to UNESCO, in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region, for many adolescent girls, sex, marriage, and pregnancy are not voluntary or consensual, and many lack access to information to make informed decisions. In 2013, the adolescent fertility rate in the ESA region was reportedly two times higher than the world average at 108.2 live births per 1,000 girls (UNFPA, 2016). Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data compiled in 2012 revealed that by age 17, at least one in five young women in six countries in the ESA region had started childbearing. A high proportion of pregnancies among adolescent girls, aged 15 to 19 years, are unintended, ranging from 39 per cent in Tanzania to 59 per cent in Kenya. One of the greatest health challenges associated with adolescent pregnancy is unsafe abortion with the consequences of severe complications (UNESCO). EUP impact is mainly felt by low and middle-income girls living in rural areas and with low levels of education. Adolescents in poor rural areas, with no education, have birth rates almost three times those observed in urban areas, with a secondary or higher education.