When it comes to preventing adolescent pregnancies, a crucial factor is women’s empowerment, especially the ability of young women to request contraception. This study analyzes the magnitude, trends over time, determinants and impacts of child marriage and adolescent pregnancy.
It shows that the proportion of girls married and pregnant in their teens decreased slightly between 1997 and 2011. Most provinces saw improvements in their rates of child marriage between 1997 and 2011. Yet due to rapid population growth, the absolute number of girls married as children continues to grow.
