The Colombian government will invest $135 million over the next three years to prevent teenage pregnancy, reported newspaper El Espectador.
The money will be used to fund sex education programs and human development projects, while also strengthening current institutions through investment.
The initiative was approved following a Tuesday meeting of the National Economic and Social Policy Council (Conpes), with presidential advisor for Gender Equality Cristina Plazas describing teenage pregnancy as, “A social problem that goes beyond the point of view of health, involving all agencies with responsibilities in the matter.”
In Colombia, roughly one in five teenage girls between 15 and 19 are preganant or have become mothers. The government is aiming to oversee a 25% decrease by 2015.
The plan involves participation of various ministries and government bodies and intends to lower the school dropout rate and encourage young people to make better use of their free time.
The plan also seeks to strengthen proceedures used in cases of of violence, abuse and pregnancy under the age of 14.