A woman checks a pregnancy test
Almost half of the pregnancies that occur worldwide each year are accidentalaccording to a study published this Wednesday by the United Nations, which asks to invest in sex education and contraceptive methods to respond to this “invisible crisis”.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Organization, estimates that there are 121 million unwanted pregnancies worldwide each year, with the number being particularly high in developing countries.
Of these unwanted pregnancies, more than 60 percent end in abortions, many of which are unsafe.and account for between 5 and 13 percent of all maternal deaths, according to the report.
Although the number of unwanted pregnancies has declined over the past two decades, UNFPA emphasizes that the rate remains very high and the percentage of abortions has increased.
According to the agency, the main causes of this problem include a lack of sexual and reproductive education and care, contraceptive options that are not well adapted to the needs of many women, stigma in many societies, sexual violence and poverty.
Most notably, UNFPA argues, is the issue of gender inequality, both the cause and consequence of unwanted pregnancies, which have important implications for education and career opportunities for millions of women.
A pregnant woman
“For affected women, the most important reproductive decision is whether or not to conceive, not a choice”the agency’s chief executive, Natalia Kanem, told reporters.
According to UN estimates, around 257 million women worldwide who do not want to conceive are not using modern contraceptive methods and up to 25 percent of all women are unable to refuse sex.
These problems are particularly severe in adolescent girls, who are ignorant of their bodies and are very often coerced or pressured to maintain relationships and, in many cases, are condemned to a life of poverty by having to drop out of college, Kanem stressed. . .
UNFPA also highlights how unwanted pregnancies skyrocket in conflict situations, as women lose access to contraception and cases of sexual violence increase.
For example, the agency estimates that the situation in Afghanistan will result in approximately 4.8 million unwanted pregnancies by 2025.
UNFPA drew attention to the risk for Ukrainian women who have been displaced en masse by the war, recalling that there are studies based on other crises claiming that up to 20 percent of refugees are victims of sexual violence.
According to the UN, in order to tackle the crisis of unwanted pregnancies, the most important thing is to strengthen resources in the field of sexual and reproductive education and access to modern contraceptives.
In this sense, the report’s principal author, Gilda Sedgh, stressed that the problem is a social problem and can never be reduced “to a question of individual responsibility or irresponsibility” of women.
(With information from EFE)
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