KUCHING: Sarawak recorded fewer cases of teenage pregnancy — only 1,269 cases — this year, says state Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
She disclosed that since the One Stop Teenage Pregnancy Committee (OSTPC) was established in 2014, it had recorded a slight decline (in cases) from 2014 to 2017, and a small increase in 2018 and 2020.
“This year, we can see that there is a reduction in cases compared to last year’s total figure of 2,099 cases – a difference of 830.
“With this figure, we believe that we are able to achieve our key performance indicator (KPI) of 10 percent decline (in teenage pregnancy cases) as the year is about to end,” she told the media here on Monday (Nov 1).
Of the cases recorded from Jan to Sept, 287 were in Kuching, followed by Miri with 222, Sibu (183), Bintulu (129), Kapit (79), Sarikei (78), Mukah (63), and Kota Samarahan (60).
Fatimah pointed out that from the figures, 64 percent were unmarried; 68 percent had dropped out from school; and 35.5 percent were in the schooling age (10 to 17 years).
She noted that among the contributing factors were teenage promiscuity during festive seasons; exposure to social media contents and pornography websites; sexual crimes (statutory rape); relaxed control from parents or guardians; problems in the family; poverty; low knowledge of sexual education; and dropouts from school.
“In view of these, we have requested Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and the state Health Department (JKNS) to look into the age of the pregnant teen’s partners and find out whether or not a process of grooming was involved, for example, did they bait the teenager with things or have different intentions.
“Aside from that, parents must play their role in monitoring their children’s social media and dating applications as well as pornography websites so that they are not easily exposed to them.”
Meanwhile on baby dumping cases, she revealed that Sarawak had recorded 37 cases since 2016 and only five cases were recorded from January to September this year.
“Since the establishment of the baby hatch in 2017, five babies were placed in the hatch. Of the five, four are alive and one was brought in dead (BID).
“The babies have since been under the care and love of qualified guardians,” Fatimah said, adding that there was a high demand of couples who want to adopt babies.
As for more baby hatches established in future, she noted that they were trying to get assistance from non-governmental organisations and private hospitals to set them up, ideally one in the north and one in the south of Kuching.
Fatimah said should there be a need for a baby hatch at government hospitals, she would bring it up in their next meeting because pregnant teenagers would normally go to the hospitals and deliver their babies.
She said those who did not go to the hospitals were normally the ones who do not want people to know about their pregnancy and they would place their babies in the baby hatch.
