Indonesia to Observe World Population Day

Jakarta (Antara) - Indonesia will join the commemoration of the World Population Day on July 11 with this year's focus on youth, Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) Fasli Jalal said here on Wednesday. "Indonesia will observe the World Population Day and the theme concerns the younger generation, university students and other related parties being involved in the programs for teenagers and young people," he said. Indonesia has a huge number of young people and they could be a very important asset for the nation if they are guided properly, he added. Based on the data of the national population census in 2010, the number of young people aged between 10 and 24 years old was around 64 million or 27.6 percent of the country's total population, he said. The United Nations has designated July 11 as the World Population Day, and this year the focus is on "Adolescent Pregnancy". About 16 million girls under age 18 give birth each year. Another 3.2 million undergo unsafe abortions, according to UNFPA on its website. The vast majority - 90 per cent -- of the pregnant adolescents in the developing world are married. But for far too many of these girls, pregnancy has little to do with informed choice. Often it is a consequence of discrimination, rights violations (including child marriage), inadequate education or sexual coercion. Adolescent pregnancy is a health issue: the youngest mothers face a heightened risk of maternal complications, death and disability, including obstetric fistula. Their children face higher risks as well. It is also an issue of human rights. Adolescent pregnancy often means an abrupt end of childhood, a curtailed education and lost opportunities. On this World Population Day, the UN has decided to raise awareness of the issue of adolescent pregnancy in the hopes of delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person¿s potential is fulfilled. (*)