Juvenile marriages, adolescent pregnancy and other manifestations of gender inequality undermine the health and rights of girls and threaten the Sustainable Development Agenda, the UNFPA warns in its State of World Population 2016 report. According to the report, at the age of ten many girls in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are affected by social and cultural norms and discriminatory practices, IPN reports.
The report shows the girls in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are generally well educated and even outstrip the boys in terms of higher education. But a combination of factors prevents these girls from fully realizing their potential in adult life and from contributing to the economic and social development of their communities and countries. These factors include juvenile and thus illegal marriages and the fact that the teenage girls face a thrice bigger risk of becoming pregnant in adolescence compared with girls of the same age from Western Europe. This negatively affects the health and life perspectives of the mother and child. The young women face difficulties in combining work and raising the child because the leave and childcare regimes are insufficient and the traditional gender roles discourage the women from building a career.
“Investment in adolescents is essential for the prosperity of the Republic of Moldova. The healthy and educated people are the guarantee of a future generation of powerful and healthy generation able to contribute to the economic growth and prosperity of the country,” said UNFPA Representative in Moldova Rita Columbia.
UNFPA said the range of policy options available to governments have diversified during the last decade. Among these are the bans on damaging practices, such as juvenile marriages, ensuring of formation of life habits, access to comprehensive sexual education appropriate to age, and adoption of gender sensible employment policies. They also include, fundamentally, the removal of traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
The new Sustainable Development Agenda adopted by the world leaders in 2015 is the plan for the social and economic progress of the countries of the world, including the Republic of Moldova, for the next 15 years. This is aimed at ensuring equitable development, with no one being left behind. The removal of the barriers faced by the girls aged ten will increase the chances for the Agenda 2030 to be implemented successfully.
