ADS Raises Awareness on Preventing Early School Pregnancies in North Kivu Through Television Discussion
ADS | Advocacy, Child Protection and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
ADS participated in a television discussion on Grand Kivu Resources Television, focusing on the urgent need to address and prevent early and unintended pregnancies among adolescent girls in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The discussion highlighted the particular vulnerabilities faced by adolescent girls in a region deeply affected by prolonged armed conflict, displacement, poverty and the weakening of family and community support systems.
In this challenging environment, many girls face increased exposure to early and unintended pregnancies due to economic insecurity, limited access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information and services, disrupted education, and heightened risks of sexual exploitation and abuse. The breakdown of traditional family and community protection mechanisms has further exacerbated these challenges, both during conflict and in its aftermath.
ADS emphasized that early pregnancy is not merely a public health concern; it is also a child protection, education, human rights and social justice issue. It can interrupt girls’ education, undermine their well-being and limit their opportunities to build a secure and independent future.
During the discussion, ADS highlighted several priority actions:
- Strengthening comprehensive sexuality education: Ensuring that adolescents receive accurate, age-appropriate information to make informed and responsible decisions.
- Promoting parent-child communication: Encouraging open, supportive and age-appropriate dialogue between parents and children on adolescence, sexual and reproductive health, and personal protection.
- Improving access to adolescent-friendly health services: Ensuring that young people can access confidential, non-discriminatory and appropriate sexual and reproductive health information and services.
- Rebuilding family and community protection systems: Strengthening the role of parents, community leaders, schools and local protection structures in safeguarding adolescent girls.
- Preventing sexual exploitation and abuse: Addressing the structural vulnerabilities that expose girls to violence, coercion and exploitation, particularly in conflict-affected and displacement settings.
- Supporting girls’ access to education: Promoting measures that enable pregnant adolescents and young mothers to remain in school or return to education without discrimination or stigma.
ADS called for stronger collaboration among civil society organizations, educational institutions, parents, healthcare providers, community leaders and public authorities to tackle the root causes of early pregnancies and ensure that adolescent girls receive the protection, information, healthcare and educational opportunities they deserve.
ADS’s message is clear: Protecting adolescent girls requires more than awareness-raising. It demands collective responsibility, sustained investment in prevention, stronger protection systems and concrete action to address the inequalities and vulnerabilities that place girls at risk.
Every girl deserves the opportunity to grow up safely, continue her education, make informed choices about her future and fulfil her potential, regardless of the circumstances in which she lives.
