Six thousand five hundred girls under the age of 14 get pregnant every year in Colombia, a high government official said Monday.
According to the country's presidential adviser on women's issues, Cristina Plazas, teen pregnancy is a high priority issue due to its negative impact on economic and social development.
In collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, Plazas will work to ensure that sexual and reproductive health is a priority issue for all succesful candidates of the upcoming October elections, she said in an interview with RCN Radio.
Santos' government recently called teen pregnancy a serious social issue that further entrenches poverty. President Juan Manuel Santos stated in July that "in the majority of cases, [teen pregnancy] forces young people to stop their studies, or abandon their dreams, so that they can begin to work to support [their children.]"
According to the president, teen pregnancy in Colombia has doubled in the last 20 years.
