Ecuador in statistics.

Below I am translating a piece the I wrote a while back, using statistics to raise awareness of teenage pregnancies and the problems the Ecuadorian youth are facing. If you are interested in this subject, or in statistics in general, here are some to chew on!

Ecuador is known for its flora and fauna, an ideal tourist attraction; and it is in the ten most popular places for an American or European to retire. But Ecuador is at the top of many statistics, not just tourism.

There is also the issue of sexual abuse and premature pregnancies. In Latin America (South America, Central America and the Caribbean) the rate of pregnancies in girls and adolescents is increasing. And depending on which sources one reads, Ecuador is in second place either in South America or throughout Latin America, with 21% of pregnancies in adolescents under the age of 18 nationwide.

1 in 20 of Ecuadorian girls between the ages of 12 to 14 get pregnant, many of them from sexual abuse. Not only that, but this alarming figure has risen 74% in recent years.

In the Ecuadorian Amazon region, cases are even more frequent; with studies showing that if our young ladies do not finish high school, more than half will become pregnant before age 18(which is quite common here in the jungle!). Unfortunately, I repeat that many of these cases are due to rape or sexual abuse, so much so that at the last United Nations summit, their children's rights division sent a list of recommendations to the Ecuadorian Government, noting the high percentage of premature pregnancies and also gender violence and sexual abuse.

It is true that these brute numbers may seem small compared to countries in Africa and the South Pacific, however, if we focus on percentages, we see an alarming trend. Not only that, but because of so much world focus given to these areas, their percentages and numbers are going down. South America, on the other hand, is the only place in the whole world where the figures increase yearly, rather than decreasing!!

These cases happen at school, in the city, in the community and at home. In the last five years, 2000 girls under the age of 14 became mothers because of rape. Of these, more than 80% were abused by people close to them. Because of premature pregnancy, not only can the baby can die, but also the mother/young girl. The most common cause of death in our young ladies aged 15-19 are complications in pregnancy or childbirth.

The problem is not pregnancies in and of themselves, but everything afterwards... it can be very hard for a pregnant girl or teenage mother to finish her schooling, find a job, and many times even impossible to find a good partner or to make a home. Not to mention the physical, reproductive, mental and emotional damages that such pregnancies and abuse can cause.

Her time for growing, learning and discovering is shortened, or in many cases completely cut off; and this can bring many physical, sentimental, economical and emotional problems to the young woman, the baby and her home. The trauma suffered by an abuse, a pregnancy and even an abortion carries with it complications that mark the life of such a girl, and may even push her to want to end her own life.

Government programs are also not working... some advocate abortion for a premature or unwanted pregnancy. Other initiatives that have been implemented include the provision of delivering contraceptive pills (AEOs) in the government health clinics, with free access to anyone who asks for them, regardless of their age or sex. Others have placed condom dispensers in all heal and school institutions for free delivery and without supervision to anyone who needs it.

The problem is that none of these options are safe, nor do they work. Abortion, in spite of what they tell us, can be very risky, and it does affect the health and emotional well-being of the young woman. Condoms are not safe either; Although the use of condoms in Ecuadorian adolescents and youth has risen from 57% to 73%, the pregnancy rate of our young ladies has increased rather than decreased.

These statistics allow us to see the harsh reality that happens around us every day; the girl who crosses our path in the market, the girl who sells her body in the streets; It happens in our communities, and even in our own families. They show a great responsibility that lies upon us as parents, as a society and as a whole country; to show a greater interest in our youth, to listen and teach, and to support and defend those who are going through this difficult situation in the most vulnerable and important stage of their lives.

What will you do as a parent, as a teacher, as a responsible person; as a community and as a church ?? The change of this situation is in your hands.

Data obtained from studies of UNFPA, INEC, UNICEF, Jefferson College of Medicine, and the campaign Niñas no Madres (Girls not Mothers).

Teenage pregnancies are not the only social ill that Ecuador faces, we also are high on the charts in drug abuse, interfamilial violence, broken homes, sexual abuse, teenage prostitution, and children living and working on the streets. The family institution is broken, the government programs, when they reach us here in the jungle, are out of context or just plain do not work, and many of the organizations and institutions, because of a lack of understanding the culture, or the context, rub salt into the open wound.

We see the pain in each of the children eyes that we pass on the streets, hear their cry in the middle of the night, know their desperation and sense of loss.

As we have said before, the ain goal of our ministry is to teach the Ecuadorian people, church and pastors to reach their own, and equip them with everything they need to do this. In the kids clubs, part of the focus in our training is specifically the struggles that children and youth face, including drugs, gangs, teenage pregnancies, etc. We may not be able to know all of the lives we have changed or saved, or even when knowing, we may not be able to share the details...but when you partner with us, you are a part of not only reaching these children and youth with the gospel, but also of breaking chains, and changing their lives. There is nothing better than to see hope spring into the eyes of a young child, knowing that no matter what he faces at home, their is a God that loves him; or of a young girl, who sees for the first time that their is hope for her and her unborn baby. Not only do all of us as a team reach these lives, but we train capable men and woman, all over the jungle, to do the same. Thank you!!