Adolescence is a period of physical, emotional and social development and opportunities. It can be a time of challenges, with major physical, emotional and social changes fuelling specific health risks and needs, including for their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
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Prevent teenage pregnancy
An estimated 21 million adolescent girls (15–19 years) in low- and middle-income countries become pregnant each year, with half of these pregnancies unintended. The health consequences are severe, with higher risks of maternal complications than women aged 20–24 years and of adverse outcomes for their babies.
Adolescent pregnancy also limits opportunities for education and later employment, as girls often must drop out of school when pregnant.
Protect adolescent girls from harmful practices
Harmful practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) are human rights violations that are driven by gender norms that seek to control women’s sexuality.
For many adolescent girls, early pregnancy happens within the context of child marriage. One in 5 young women aged 20 to 24 years today was married before she turned 18.
Reduce sexually transmitted infections
The number of new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) annually among older adolescents (aged 15–19 years) is not declining nearly quickly enough to reach the 2030 SDG targets. In 2023, there were an estimated 1.9 million adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years living with HIV, compared to 1.2 million adolescent boys and young men.
End violence against adolescents
A quarter of adolescent girls (15–19 years) who have been in a relationship have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime – a figure largely unchanged in the last decade.
Almost one-third of young teens (11–17 years) worldwide have experienced bullying, with boys slightly more at risk of bullying in schools than girls.
Address the mental health crisis
Depression and anxiety are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
Girls who are pregnant, who have experienced abuse, in early and forced marriages or who have been subjected to FGM are at even greater risk of mental health conditions.
Credit: WHO
