Invest in teenage education and health to ensure the future

With a population that has doubled in the last half century to overcome the 7,000 million people, the challenges of the future inevitably have to manage the growing demographics of the Earth and especially in the cities, the so call overpopulation.

The United Nations (UN) considers so, and that's why every July 11 since 1989 celebrates World Population Day with the aim to concern the people about the importance of managing our resources for a sustainable development. And the theme chosen for this year is precisely "Investing in teenage girls."

According to the international organization, "teenage girls around the world face enormous challenges." The UN denounces that many communities or parents consider that way too young girls are already prepared for marriage or motherhood and thus are forced to abandon their education, resulting in serious damage to their future prospects.

Therefore, it seems necessary to raise awareness on the importance of good training for adolescents in all corners of the globe, as they are called to participate in the transformation of the economies in the near future.

Educational deficiencies

In addition, the UN tries to warn about educational problems in socially and economically disadvantaged areas. Even for those girls that can stay in school, the basics on human rights, reproductive rights or their own health are not always acquired, circumstances that make them more vulnerable and susceptible to disease, injury or labor and sexual exploitation. The cases are aggravated when we speak of social minorities, groups at risk of exclusion, girls living below the poverty line or in remote areas.

Passport to a better future

On the contrary, the United Nations states that when these adolescents are adequately trained, know their rights and are empowered with the right tools, they become "agents of positive change in their communities."

The programs of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is actively fighting to end child marriages, curb teenage pregnancy and empower young women to make consistent decisions for their lives. As encouraging data, the UNFPA reports that only in 2015 they managed to help more than eleven million girls between 10 and 19 years in terms of access to reproductive and sexual information.

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Source: World Population Day.