Surge in teen pregnancies makes sex education crucial for girls: Nagalakshmi Choudhary

Choudhary pointed out that young women are either duped or coaxed into having physical relations with young boys and men in several cases.

Raichur: Expressing alarm over the increasing incidence of teenage pregnancies in the state, Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women Nagalakshmi Choudhary underscored the need to impart sex education lessons to young girls.

Interacting with journalists in the city, she said, “We have already written to the government about including a few topics on sex education in the curriculum.”

Many girls in high schools and pre-university colleges are rather innocent and need to be educated about the dangers of premature pregnancies, she said.

“Many young girls do not seem to know that physical intimacy can result in pregnancy,” she added.

She rued that young women are either duped or coaxed into having physical relations with young boys and men in several cases.

She also attributed the spike in teenage pregnancies to the rise in the number of child marriages.

“It is only when these young women visit government hospitals for delivery that instances of teenage pregnancies are coming to light. But if they visit private hospitals, those cases go undocumented. That is why it is vital to raise awareness about this issue,” Nagalakshmi said, lamenting the prevalence of child marriage in society despite the many strong laws enacted to prevent it.