| Azlan Othman |
PEER pressure, getting hooked to social media and befriending strangers online, an unstable family, financial difficulties such as inadequate income and low education level are some of the factors that lead to teenage pregnancies.
This was mentioned by Hajah Noorhidayah binti Haji Osman, an officer from the Community Development Department (JAPEM) of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports at a talk ‘Apabila Baju Melayu Bertemu Baju Kurong’ attended by 300 youths at Sultan Sharif Ali Mosque in Kampong Sengkurong prior to the breaking of fast yesterday.
The talk was part of a series organised for the first time by Syababul Iman or youth mosque group to create awareness on social issues relating to youths and identifying the root causes of and solutions to the issues.
Hajah Noorhidayah said that youths involved in teenage pregnancies sometimes have a past history of being sexually abused.
Lack of religious knowledge can lead youths to run away from their parents and engage in illegitimate relationships with their partners.
Hajah Noorhidayah binti Haji Osman, an officer from the Community Development Department (JAPEM) delivering her talk. – AZLAN OTHMAN
She added that beyond parental control teenagers are often associated with alcohol abuse and unruly behaviour, which leads to some parents asking JAPEM to assist their troubled kids. The teenagers were later accommodated at JAPEM welfare house to undergo rehabilitation programmes.
Hajah Noorhidayah said the society has the obligation to take care and advise the youth. Although we are busy with our daily lives, we need to be alert with what’s going on around us.
She also urged the community to show a concerned attitude and called for the troubled in society to be assisted.
Another speaker, Dr Haji Rozaimee bin Haji Tengah, a doctor from a private clinic, highlighted that teenage pregnancy could lead to premature delivery, pregnancy-induced hypertension and depression after delivery. These women are also two times more prone to anxiety, sadness and may experience sleep difficulties.
He said out of the 7,000 births recorded annually in the Sultanate, around 300 were from teenage pregnancies.
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