The rate of unwanted pregnancies among Vietnamese aged between 10 and 19 is on the rise, resulting in high abortion rates, one official said.

Juveniles tend to have sex at earlier ages

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien made the statement at the press conference on the World’s Population Day held in Hanoi on July 10.

Several experts including doctor Nguyen Duc Vinh, Deputy Director of the ministry’s Maternal and Child Health Department blamed the situation on the fact that more young people tend to have sex at early ages and lack adequate sex education.

Research at three public hospitals in HCM City in 2012 by doctor Nguyen Duy Tai, head of HCM City University of Medical and Pharmacy’s obstetrics, showed that young people start to have sex at an average age of 14, some even at the ages of ten or twelve. This is much earlier than the average age of over 19 found during a survey in 2005 and of 18 in 2010.

According to the World Health Organisation, juveniles in Vietnam account for one fifth of the nation’s population. As a result, due attention should be paid to sex education for this group, as the rate of unsafe sex, unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions as well as sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise.

Abortions among juvenile peoples account for 40% of total abortions in the country, a survey by the HCM City Development Research Institute showed.

Another recent survey showed that only a minority of young men asked had a standard knowledge about reproductive health. Up to 34% of those questioned had an improper understanding about condoms as they said only prostitutes needed to use them.

Nguyen Viet Tien said that pregnancy among juveniles results in several consequences and poses dangers to the mother, who has yet to fully develop physically or mentally.

“Those who get pregnant at the ages of 18 or 19 tend to suffer from high risks of incidents,” he emphasised.

The United Nations Population Fund said child mothers face high risks of fatalities and injuries. The rate of abortus among mothers aged less than 20 is about half, which is much higher than the figure among mothers aged between 20 and 29.

Children of juvenile mothers tend to be prematurely born, underweight and face higher risks of infant mortality.

This year’s World Population Day themed “Adolescent Pregnancy” was aimed to call for more efforts to lower pregnancy among this group.