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Group Concerned About Increase
in Child Pregnancies
The director of the group "Reciclando
Esperanzas", located in San
Francisco de Dos Ríos, Patricia
Porras Sánchez, revealed that
pregnancies in girls between 12
and 13 years of age is on the
increase and by as much as 20%
over the past year.
Porras said that she knows of
cases of girls as young as 9
years old who became pregnant
and now are mothers. Porras
demonstrated concern over the
growing problem.
The expert says that the
increase is due to problems,
manily the disintegration of the
family unit, leaving the young
without values and guidance, the
other, parents who cannot
provide the proper sexual
education to their children.
According to Porras, parents as
well as their children, don't
know where to go to when a
pregnancy occurs.
Reciclando Esperanzas is a group
of women concerned about child
pregnancy and is doing what it
can to let people know they are
to help.
"We provide psycological help.
Psycologists and other experts
visit our centr and provide
talks to the young women, as
well as nourish them and help
with a babyshawer (sic). We get
help from high school students
who give us up to 30 hours of
voluntary work to obtain food,
maternity clothing and help out
the young pregnant girls with
school work", said Porras.
Porras added that the IMAS (the
Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social
- that in addition to running
the duty free shops at the
airport, is a government
institution with the goal to
help resolve problems of the
poor) with their program to help
pregnant adolescents, however,
for only six months and that is
not sufficient, which the
institution is being asked to
modify.
Porras pointed that not all the
young girls become pregnant
because of rape and sexual
abuse, but also out of
ignorance, by men offering them
money for sex and other factors,
notwithstanding, these young
girls are still children and
aren't prepared for motherhood.
Porras is asking any person or
organization that wants to lend
Recicland Esperanzas a hand to
call 259 0053.
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