With over 1,000 university students in Malaysia infected with HIV between 2020 to 2024, here’s something that may cause another wave of concern:
Nearly 17,000 teenagers in Malaysia got pregnant out of wedlock from 2020 to 2024.
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KPWKM Minister reveals that nearly 17,000 Malaysian teens got pregnant out of wedlock
In Parliament today (20 November), Minister of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM), Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, said that a total of 16,951 teenagers were recorded with pregnancy within the mentioned period.
This number is part of the total of 41,842 pregnant teenagers aged 19 and below, according to the data obtained from the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Approximately 50% of them are Malays
Nancy further elaborated on the breakdown of the teens based on ethnicities:
- Malay – ~50%
- Iban – 11%
- Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli – 9%
- Chinese – 5%
- Indian – 3%
Meanwhile, the rest are of various other ethnicities.
With the worrying numbers and data, Nancy said that the Ministry will implement steps to curb the issue, including through counselling.
“The ministry will continue to strengthen various prevention efforts through strengthening reproductive health education, counselling programmes and community support to curb the issue.”
Previously, we have reported multiple concerns involving underage teenagers and youth, which include a 16-year-old boy who contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD) after he was pressured by peers to try “something new” by paying a mere RM50 for a hooker in Thailand.
In July this year, a lecturer at the Department of Social Sciences and Development, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), revealed that students as young as 18 admitted that they have HIV, and some deliberately spread the disease to others as they did not want to face it alone.
What do you think of the concerning numbers?
Also read: Blinded by Love: M’sian Shares How She Became Addicted to Drugs at 16yo Because of Her Boyfriend
