Unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion are serious public health issues in the Arab region that often go ignored, jeopardizing the health of women and families and placing a burden on society as a whole.
This document was produced as an input to the Policy Dialogue on “Bullying and Learning Nationally, Regionally and internationally”, organized by the Regional Centre for Educational Planning (RECP) and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 29-30 April 2019 in Sharjah, UAE.
School-related violence in all its forms, including bullying, is an infringement of children’s and adolescents’ rights to education and health and well-being. No country can achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all if learners experience violence in school.
Abortion continues to be a key contributor to maternal mortalities and morbidities in the Arab states region.
Girls are subject to child marriage, female genital mutilation and limited education and as such, are denied equality of opportunities.
This position paper presents several strong arguments about why it is imperative to address child marriage and adolescent pregnancy, if we want to succeed in harnessing the demographic dividend in West and Central Africa.
Child marriage in West and Central Africa is one of the biggest challenges in the region and has enormous adverse effects on education, health, including sexual and reproductive health, and on the overall development of adolescents and youth.