Every day, up to 11 girls aged 10 to 14 become pregnant, and 4 of them become mothers in Peru. A vast majority of these pregnancies result from sexual abuse. This situation reflects generational, socioeconomic, and territorial inequalities deeply rooted in gender inequality. Sexual violence and abuse, control over the body, and limitations in sexual education and reproductive health services are some of the manifestations of this inequality.
It is important to emphasize that any sexual relationship with a girl up to 14 years old is considered rape.
The law allows the marriage of an adolescent from the age of 14 with children or pregnant, as long as they have the consent of their parents and a judge. If the pregnancy occurred when the girl was under 14 years old, this marriage would coincide with a rape offense, according to current legal standards.
The effects of early motherhood are long-lasting and can have a negative impact on the lives of girls and adolescents. In addition to dropping out of school, difficulties in accessing decent work, and living in poverty, these forced mothers also face complications during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as limited access to healthcare. These circumstances result in physical and mental injuries, and even death. When pregnancy is the result of sexual abuse, there is also a risk of self-inflicted injuries, including suicide.
In Peru, more than 56,000 girls and adolescents begin to cohabit and marry a partner each year. In most cases, these partners are older men. Furthermore, 85% of these young mothers come from low-income backgrounds. These figures reflect the urgent need to take measures to prevent teenage pregnancy and protect girls from abuse and violence. This underscores the need to eliminate child marriage.
"The life of a girl should start as any other life should: as an open book in which she can write her own story. However, from the moment a girl takes her first breath, she is already at a disadvantage simply because she was born a girl." Natalia Kanem – Executive Director of UNFPA.
Regarding the budgets allocated for the prevention of teenage pregnancy, there is a challenge to increase public investment. On average, regions in the country allocate only S/9.3 per teenager, according to El Comercio newspaper (July 8, 2023).
It is important to consider that, in addition to the consequences for the lives of adolescents, teenage pregnancy and early motherhood also have a significant economic impact. The economic cost of these pregnancies and deliveries would reach US$66.7 million for 2022 in Peru. This cost will be repeated every year throughout the productive lives of these young mothers, adding to the costs of previous and future generations. If an estimate is projected from 2021 to 2030, the accumulated economic cost of teenage pregnancy and motherhood for girls and adolescents would be no less than US$3,135 (three thousand one hundred thirty-five) million US dollars.
These figures highlight the need to invest in the prevention of teenage pregnancy and the promotion of progressive comprehensive sexual education that involves parents and guardians. It is essential to involve men at an early age in these educational processes to deconstruct attitudes and practices that justify discriminatory gender norms that harm the integrity of girls, adolescents, and women.
Girls and adolescents represent great potential for accelerating the path to the development of their communities and countries. Empowering their leadership, agency, and bodily autonomy is key. Strengthening the justice system and operators to safeguard the integrity and repair the harm of girls and women before situations of violence and sexual abuse. Ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents will not only benefit girls now but also their future and future generations. Increasing and focusing investments in this area will contribute to the well-being of adolescents, their rights to education, health, equal opportunities, and protection from harmful practices such as child marriage.
Key data:
- Attendances for sexual violence in girls aged 10 to 14 at CEMs tripled between 2017 and 2022, with a higher proportion of increase in 2021.
- In Ucayali, the birth rate in girls up to 14 years old is 6 times higher than the national average.
- It is urgent to eliminate child marriage from the national legal framework and with it the possibility for sexual offenders of minors under 14 to mutate from rapists to husbands and avoid the penalty for the corresponding crime as contemplated in the current penal code.
Key resources:
- Publication: Map of Pregnancy and Motherhood in Girls and Adolescents in Peru.
- The digital dashboard with key figures, data, and messages on teenage pregnancy and motherhood in girls and adolescents.
