Twenty three percent of teenagers between 15 and 19 in the southwestern Nariño department have already had their first child, newspaper El Tiempo reported Monday.
According to the newspaper, as many as four out of 10 women in the department’s age group are either pregnant or already have had their first child.
The rate was 3.5% higher than Colombia’s national average of 19.5%, which is considered high by international standards.
According to the Mariluz Mejia of the United Nations Population Fund, Colombia is lagging far behind the United Nations’ development goals, which have the goal of reducing teenage pregnancies while contributing to the sexual health of youngsters.
“Young people these days have information on how to avoid pregnancy. What they don’t have is access or confidence to facilitate these methods in order to plan,” said Mejia according to El Tiempo.