KUCHING: Minister of Women, Family, and Community Development Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri has raised alarms about increasing issues related to teenage pregnancies, underage marriage, baby abandonment, and unsafe abortions.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Nancy Shukri cited data from the Ministry of Health, revealing that 44,263 teenage pregnancies were reported over the past five years, with 17,646 cases involving unmarried teenagers. In Sarawak, from 2019 to 2023, there were 9,258 recorded teenage pregnancies, where 5,627 were among unmarried teens. She noted that the high rates of teenage pregnancy in Sarawak are partly due to customary laws that allow underage marriage, and there has been no amendment to raise the minimum marriage age for girls to 18.

The Santubong member of parliament shared these statistics during the Sarawak State-level Advocacy Forum on Reproductive and Social Education (PEKERTI) for Parents. She emphasized the importance of open discussions about sex, arguing that societal or parenta
l reluctance to address reproductive health may only heighten curiosity among teenagers.

She also pointed out that teenagers today face new challenges in a globalised world, including external cultural influences, unlimited access to information, and pressure to adapt to evolving social norms. The forum, attended by around 200 participants, aimed to provide parents with the necessary knowledge to support their children’s development and social integration.