Charting the Future: Empowering girls to prevent early pregnancies

Adolescent pregnancy is dangerous – and sometimes fatal. In developing countries it is the leading cause of death for adolescent girls, generally affecting the poorest girls in the poorest countries.

In developing countries, teenage pregnancy is rarely the accidental result of sexual experimentation. For many girls in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia in particular, childbearing is something that they have little personal control over. Often forced into marriage and encouraged to become pregnant as quickly as possible, too many girls are never given the chance to imagine a future that that is not centred around early motherhood.

The report discusses eight key barriers that limit adolescents‘ contraceptive uptake. It recognises that individuals, families, and communities each play key roles in generating that demand – and that supply is shaped by economics, policies, and politics, as well as service access and quality.