‘24% Of Lagos Women Have Sex Before 18 Years’

**As Teenagers Account For 22.5% Of Pregnancies In Nigeria

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Jide Idris, has revealed that 24.2% of women in the state have their first sex before clocking 18 years.

Dr Idris also revealed on Thursday that teenagers account for no less than 22.5% of pregnancies in Nigeria.

Advertisement

The commissioner disclosed this while speaking on the subject “Reproductive Health: Beyond Cultural Limitations and Concerns” at the Inaugural Lecture and Award Ceremony of Inspiration FM (92.3) in Victoria Island, Lagos State.

“Nationally, the figures are about 51 per cent. This implies that in Lagos, one out of every four women would have been exposed to sex before 18 years, while the national average for Nigeria is one out of two women,” said Dr. Idris.

“With an average age of first birth at 20 years, about 22.5 per cent of pregnancies are by teenagers in Nigeria. More worrying, however, is that reports show that as of this year, about 40 per cent of women in the South-West have experienced physical violence since age 15. Sexual violence cannot be excluded from the statistics.

“In other words, in a nation where more than 60 per cent of its population are young people and significant numbers of these young people are exposed to sexual intercourse at an early age, either voluntarily or violently, a lot of problems emerge. Such problems are associated with sexually-transmitted infections, childhood pregnancy, trauma and its accompanying physical and mental health implications.

Advertisement

“This means that there must be access to knowledge about sexual health and systems that modify behaviour, as well as, access to services that prevent and manage them,” the commissioner said.

Leave a comment

Advertisement