In Colombia, young women may be getting pregnant intentionally -- but not necessarily because they want to become mothers. Sexuality education advocates differ on how best to tailor a pregnancy prevention and sexual health curriculum to reach Colombian teens.

In Colombia, one in

every five women under 19 years old is a mother or is pregnant. The rate of teen motherhood is on the rise in

most of the Latin American countries. In Colombia, this situation is partly the result of young women wanting to become mothers, and partly the result of young women seeking some benefits early motherhood might provide them.

According

to the 2005 National Survey on Demography and Health, carried out every five

years by Profamilia, a sexual and reproductive health provider, 42% of the

teenagers expressed a wish to become mothers.

However, this fact does not

change the consequences of teen motherhood in terms of maternal mortality and

poverty cycle reproduction. From

1986 and 1995, the rate of teen motherhood increased from 70 to 89 per 1000

young women, and in 2005 it reached 90 teens per 1000.

Why Early Motherhood?

One

of the factors that pushed up teen pregnancy is violence resulting from the

armed conflict. Statistics show that the

rate of teen motherhood is higher among displaced population.

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Profamilia,

which runs a program for displaced families, has concluded that teen pregnancy

is a way for poor young women to reach objectives other than motherhood. For

instance, for such women, getting pregnant by a rich man — even if he is married to someone else — is

a way to get income for their families and to gain social status among their

neighborhood. "For many of these displaced young

women, having a baby is a means to solving a lack of affection and income,"

said Susana Moya, national coordinator of Profamilia’s

Program for Youth.

In

addition, young mothers in poverty can apply for assistance at the Instituto de

Bienestar Familiar, a governmental body in charge of social welfare and family

care, which offers integrated assistance, including food supplies, training,

and housing subsidies. This social

welfare is provided only to women who are mothers.

But

not only the displaced young women are choosing to become mothers. What could be the

causes that push other teenagers to get pregnant?

In

addition to the early initiation of sexual relations and the lack of a comprehensive

sexual education, there are social and economic factors which push teenagers to

motherhood.

Many

women are living in aggressive environments where their rights are ignored and

violated. Young women are often abused;

their opinions are not taken into account within their own families, and

sometimes are suffering pressure and mistreatment from their teachers.

"They

are running away from the ‘hell’ they are living at home," pointed out Germán

Salazar, coordinator of the Department for Youth from the Fundación Cardio-Infantil.

Various researchers have concluded that for poor women, having a baby accords

them more status, and a child can become their source of affection.

Diverging Views on Effective Sexuality Education

Although

sexual education at schools has a long history in Colombia,

not all the organizations involved have similar approaches. For some

organizations the emphasis is on values, duties and

responsibilities, encouraging teenagers to avoid sexual relations until they

feel certain they’re ready to start their sexual life and have the resources to afford

protection methods. "Sexual education is not talking about condoms but about values,

and is not only a matter of sexual rights but of duties," Germán

Salazar said.

Pro-values organizations do not promote abstinence until marriage. They argue that "saying

no" is an option for teenagers with enough autonomy, decision-making capacity and

self-esteem, whereas it is not for those who are only taught about contraception

and safer sex methods.

Others

organizations have an approach based on sexual rights combined with the

responsible exercising of sexuality and strengthening of autonomy. They argue that interventions have to be

done quickly and based on the current

reality, including early sexual initiation. According to the survey mentioned above,

the percentage of women between 25 and 49 years old that have their first

sexual relation before their fifteenth birthday passed from 8% in 2000 to 11% in 2005.

"If

we wait until teenagers get high levels of self-esteem, decision-making capacity and

autonomy as preconditions to talk them about contraception methods, teen

pregnancies will continue to rise," pointed out Susanna Moya.

The organizations that

support the pro-rights approach insist that interventions for teen motherhood prevention

and STI protection must be done, as well as sexual education programs for

self-esteem and autonomy.

However,

representatives of both approaches agreed on the opinion that the media –

advertisements and entertainment – is playing an important role. The media is sending messages that

tend to ignore sexual protection and is promoting sexual

relations among young audiences.

Neither the pro-values nor

the pro-rights groups support the idea that the only appropriate expression of sexuality

is within a heterosexual marriage. Such

a position could only be seen within some Catholic groups.

Currently,

the Ministry of Education is implementing a pilot pedagogic

methodology called Education for Sexuality and Citizenship Building in a number of cities.

This curriculum is a transversal program based on civil rights, and covers sexuality, and reproductive and

sexual health. Teachers are being trained to develop innovative ways to develop

this transversal program. If this innovative

program brings successful outcomes, it could be used not

only for the rest of Colombia but throughout Latin

America. ⁯