This report, published by ODI and Save the Children, explores family planning and empowerment of adolescent girls to prevent early pregnancy in developing countries. Adolescent pregnancy is dangerous – and sometimes fatal. In developing countries it is the leading cause of death for adolescent girls, affecting--in general--the poorest girls in the poorest countries. Adolescent pregnancy is dangerous for babies too—those born to teen mothers are 50% more likely to die in their first month of life than those born to women in their 20s.
In order to chart their own futures and choose motherhood only if and when they are ready, girls need to be empowered along five key dimensions:
- Socio-cultural empowerment;
- Educational and economic empowerment;
- Interpersonal empowerment;
- Legal empowerment; and
- Practical empowerment.