Teenage pregnancy during COVID-19 lockdowns may keep 1 million girls out of school in Africa
17-year-old Efua* is one of 51 girls in her community to get pregnant during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Although they haven't caught the virus, the effects of the pandemic on their lives will be lasting.
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked unprecedented havoc on children, families and communities around the globe, disrupting vital services and putting millions of lives at risk. Since March, attempts to avert the global health crisis have seen nationwide school closures in 194 countries.
School closures during crises can result in girls spending more time with men and boys than they would were they to be in school, leading to greater likelihood of engagement in risky sexual behaviour and increased risk of sexual violence and exploitation.
In our report: COVID-19 AFTERSHOCKS: ACCESS DENIED, we look at how Teenage pregnancy threatens to block one million girls, like Efua, from returning to school in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Learn more about the work World Vision is doing to limit the impacts of COVID-19 on the world's most vulnerable people.