MUMBAI: Of the 30,000-odd women who underwent abortions in Mumbai in 2013-14, more than a 100 were younger than 15 — an age at which their peers are busy preparing for their school or board exams. Another 900-odd were in the 16 to 19 age-group, reveals data gathered from the civic administration’s public health department using the Right to Information Act.The numbers raise three concerns: one, poor sex education among teenagers, two, the possibility of the girls having been victims of sexual violence , and three, the prevalence of under-age marriages in Indian society.Sangeeta Rege of NGO Cehat (Centre for Enquiry into Health & Allied Themes) said, “The reasons could be early marriage, pregnancy as a result of sexual violence or lack of information about contraception in situations of consensual sex.” Maharashtra government data released in 2013 showed that 18% of the state’s women got married before the legal age of 18.A doctor at a public hospital said teenage pregnancies are not unheard-of in Indian society because of early marriages. “But the fact that the girl sought an abortion indicates it’s an unwanted pregnancy arising out of abuse or an illicit relationship,” he said.RTI activist Chetan Kothari, who got the data from the BMC, said it is shocking that “children of 15 or younger get into situations where they have to undergo an abortion.”Dr Nozer Sheriar of FOGSI (Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India) said, “It is difficult to say whether these girls were abused or whether they willingly entered into a relationship. But it reflects the need to teach our youngsters to stand up for themselves and use protection not only against unwanted pregnancy at such an young age but also against sexually transmitted diseases.”At the same time, experts praised the availability of safe abortion services in Mumbai because the girls were able to access these easily. Rege said, “The data underscores the need to ensure access to safe abortion for girls even below 15 years of age.”However, experts pointed to a peculiar problem that is being noticed with respect to teenage abortions. Dr Sheriar said that the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (MTP) guarantees complete confidentiality to women who seek abortions. “However,” he said, “the new Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 states that every girl under 18 who is pregnant should be considered as a rape victim”.As per the provisions of POCSO, doctors who come across cases in which under-18 girls seek medical termination of pregnancy should inform the police. POCSO has raised the age of consensual sex to 18 years. “We have brought this dichotomy in the law to the notice of the central ministry of health, and it will soon be addressed,” said Dr Sheriar.But Rege feared that the POCSO-MTP dilemma could emerge as a public health challenge. “POCSO poses a major challenge due to mandatory reporting in cases of sexual violence and consensual sex for this age group. If abortion access is hinged on mandatory reporting to police, girls will be pushed to seek services from unsafe and illegal abortion providers. This may put their lives at risk or they may be forced to pay huge costs,” she said.It is estimated that unsafe abortion practices in India claim a woman’s life every two hours.