{"id":143883,"date":"2024-12-19T19:25:43","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T18:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/?p=143883"},"modified":"2024-12-19T19:53:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T18:53:09","slug":"women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/","title":{"rendered":"Women tackle teen pregnancy in Dominican Republic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dajab\u00f3n, Dominican Republic, Dec 19 (EFE).- The Dominican Republic<\/strong> is one of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean<\/strong> with the highest rates of teenage pregnancy<\/strong>, a scourge that women supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)<\/strong><\/a> are determined to end. Their efforts range from empowering young girls<\/strong> to increasing access to sexual education<\/strong> and family planning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A Disproportionate Burden on Vulnerable Populations<\/h3>\n

The issue disproportionately affects the most vulnerable populations<\/strong>, particularly along the border with Haiti<\/strong>. Provinces like El\u00edas Pi\u00f1a<\/strong> report 79% of households<\/strong> in low or very low socioeconomic conditions<\/strong>, according to a report by the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development (MEPyD)<\/strong> published by UNFPA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Teenage pregnancy is more prevalent in border provinces<\/strong> than in the rest of the country, accounting for one in four pregnancies<\/strong>, compared to one in five nationwide<\/strong>. With 77 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19<\/strong>, the Dominican Republic has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates<\/strong> in Latin America<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Photograph
Photograph of Yolanda Michell during a routine pregnancy check-up at the Rosa Duarte Hospital in El\u00edas Pi\u00f1a Province (Dominican Republic). EFE\/ Pedro Bazil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Key Houses: A Community-Based Approach<\/h3>\n

To tackle the issue at its root, UNFPA<\/strong> has supported the creation of a network<\/strong> extending beyond health centers and hospitals to neighborhoods and private homes known as “key houses”<\/strong>, managed by community leaders.<\/p>\n

Grismary Carrasco<\/strong>, who runs a key house in the border town of Dajab\u00f3n<\/strong>, shared her personal motivation:
\n\u201cI was a teenage mother, I went through that experience, so now I love working to help teenage girls avoid going through what I went through. I\u2019m a mother of three, and I\u2019m only 27 years old,\u201d Carrasco told EFE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At her key house, Carrasco offers greater privacy<\/strong> and distributes an average of 190 condoms per month<\/strong>. \u201cSometimes they come at midnight or one in the morning, and I hand out condoms to the boys even through the shutters,\u201d she said. Carrasco also serves as a confidante for teenage girls<\/strong>, encouraging those who, like her, became pregnant to fight for their future.<\/p>\n

\"Photograph
Photograph of pregnant women before a routine prenatal check-up in Pedernales (Dominican Republic). EFE\/ Pedro Bazil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Gateway to Healthcare<\/h3>\n

The network\u2019s Primary Care Centers (CPNAs)<\/strong> serve as the initial entry point into the healthcare system, providing prenatal care<\/strong> and contraceptives<\/strong> before referring patients to hospitals.<\/p>\n

Dr. Encarnaci\u00f3n de Pula<\/strong>, director of a CPNA in the border town of Pedernales<\/strong>, expressed concern over the rising number of teenage pregnancies:
\n\u201cWe\u2019re worried about the issue of teenage pregnancies because, in recent years, the numbers have increased,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Dr. de Pula highlighted another troubling reality: some underage girls from impoverished families engage in relationships with adults<\/strong> in exchange for food, phones, or clothing, despite this being illegal.<\/p>\n

Reaching Remote Communities with Motorcycle Ambulances<\/h3>\n

In the remote border provinces<\/strong>, where communities are often connected by rough dirt roads<\/strong>, reaching healthcare facilities can be challenging. In El\u00edas Pi\u00f1a<\/strong>, UNFPA<\/strong> has donated four motorcycle ambulances<\/strong> equipped with rear compartments for patients.<\/p>\n

On a recent Wednesday, three pregnant women arrived at Rosa Duarte Hospital<\/strong> via motorcycle ambulance. Among them was Yolanda<\/strong>, a 30-year-old mother of six<\/strong>, pregnant with her seventh child. Yolanda had her first child at just 15 years old<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rss-efebba0182c-ac3b-4481-aef5-9e1a1c7040ac-hd-web.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

Building Dreams: Empowering Young Girls<\/h3>\n

UNFPA<\/strong> recognizes that achieving zero teenage pregnancies in the Dominican Republic requires starting with early education<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Alicia Est\u00e9vez<\/strong>, part of the Building Dreams girls\u2019 club<\/strong> in Dajab\u00f3n<\/strong>, mentors 30 girls aged 8 to 11<\/strong>, teaching them about body autonomy<\/strong> and their rights<\/strong>.
\n\u201cMany adults come here and deceive them, offering them things or promising a bright future. Then, when they get pregnant, they abandon them and leave,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Est\u00e9vez works to inspire the girls to envision independent futures<\/strong>:
\n\u201cNow, they want to study, work, and earn their own money. Their mindset has completely changed, which is exactly what we aim for\u2014to empower<\/strong> them,\u201d she said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Gathered at the club, the girls confidently<\/strong> shared their aspirations<\/strong>: flight attendant, security guard, doctor, teacher, lawyer, soldier, agricultural engineer, professional dancer, and pilot. EFE<\/span><\/p>\n

This article was produced with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dajab\u00f3n, Dominican Republic, Dec 19 (EFE).- The Dominican Republic is one of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with the highest rates of teenage pregnancy, a scourge that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198164071,"featured_media":143884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[123780,123785],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-trends"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWomen tackle teen pregnancy in Dominican Republic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Women in the Dominican Republic, supported by UNFPA, lead efforts to combat teenage pregnancy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Women tackle teen pregnancy in Dominican Republic","description":"Women in the Dominican Republic, supported by UNFPA, lead efforts to combat teenage pregnancy.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/"},"author":{"name":"EFE","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/38c335f1ce4cd42430576ef5499343b8"},"headline":"Women tackle teen pregnancy in Dominican Republic","datePublished":"2024-12-19T18:25:43+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-19T18:53:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/"},"wordCount":748,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rss-efe0bb078797e4de33db56a44c1dee2a4bce5d77337w.jpg","articleSection":["Health","Trends"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/","url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/","name":"Women tackle teen pregnancy in Dominican Republic","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rss-efe0bb078797e4de33db56a44c1dee2a4bce5d77337w.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-19T18:25:43+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-19T18:53:09+00:00","description":"Women in the Dominican Republic, supported by UNFPA, lead efforts to combat teenage pregnancy.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/women-fight-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rss-efe0bb078797e4de33db56a44c1dee2a4bce5d77337w.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rss-efe0bb078797e4de33db56a44c1dee2a4bce5d77337w.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280,"caption":"Fotograph of Grismary Carrasco during an interview with EFE, in Dajab\u00f3n (Dominican Republic). 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