The forum addressed child marriage, early unions and teen pregnancy in Southeast Asia.

At the forum were representatives from 10 countries, including Thailand, and international organisations such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

“A striking number of young girls become pregnant without having planned to – or without having had control of their pregnancy,” Wivina Belmonte, Unicef deputy regional director, East Asia and the Pacific, told the forum.

“When an adolescent girl becomes pregnant, her life changes forever.

“Her schooling often gets disrupted, or ends altogether and her prospects of a job dim. The health hazards due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth are huge, and often fatal,” said Belmonte.

Maki Hayashikawa, director at Unesco Bangkok, said it is essential that comprehensive sexuality education that goes well beyond the basic facts of biological reproduction starts at an early age for girls and boys. They need to learn about sexuality both in and out of school in order to ensure that young people were equipped with a solid foundation for life and love.

According to her, global evidence clearly showed that providing comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) does not increase sexual activity, but rather empowers young people to take charge of their own lives with healthier and happier outcomes. “Abstinence-only approaches are not effective in delaying sexual initiation, reducing frequency of sex or reducing the number of sexual partners,” she explained. Comprehensive sexuality education “is the core to addressing early unions and teen pregnancy”.

Forum participants suggested age-appropriate CSE should commence in early primary school (at age 5), providing skills in communication, decision-making, negotiation, gender equality and respect.

In Thailand, the Prevention and Solution of Adolescent Pregnancy Problem Act was launched in 2016 to address the country’s fast-rising teen pregnancy rate through the involvement of multiple ministries and civil-society partners.

Thailand’s Public Health Ministry shared the opportunities created by the Act, especially through enshrining the rights of young people to sexual and reproductive health information and services. Young people themselves were consulted in drafting and implementing the legislation, setting a strong example for other countries in the region and globally.

While adolescent birth rates have declined globally, they have remained generally stagnant or even increased in Southeast Asia, with wide-ranging variations between countries. The average adolescent birth rate in the region is 47 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19, higher than the average of 35 in South Asia and close to the global average of 50.

The highest adolescent birth rates at the country level are seen in Lao (94), Cambodia (57), Thailand (50), Indonesia (48) and Philippines (47).