Unwanted pregnancies are the result of a lack of information and access to health services or violence and often lead to abortions, which harbour a high health risk, especially as abortion is prohibited in Senegal and is therefore usually carried out in precarious circumstances. In addition, early pregnancy almost always means dropping out of school, even if the young mothers are still allowed to go to school by law. If the young women are pregnant without being married, they are often rejected by their families and frequently stigmatised by society. The main reason for unplanned pregnancies is the lack of sex education. This is a taboo and is hardly ever addressed in the family, where at most abstinence is discussed, and girls in need of information or contraceptives are very often turned away from health centres. Added to this is the fact that women are often unable to make their own decisions about sexuality and contraception or are victims of sexual violence, as well as parents who want to marry off their daughters as soon as possible, either out of poverty or because they want to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. According to the Senegalese family code, marriage is possible from the age of 16.
The project of our partner organisation Intermondes aims to reduce unplanned pregnancies among girls aged between 10 and 18 and sexually transmitted diseases among young people in Guedawaye and Yeumbeul, two suburban communities of Dakar.
Intermondes works with traditional roles in the project: An aunt on the father's side was traditionally responsible for all matters relating to girls' sexuality, while an uncle on the mother's side was responsible for boys' sexuality. In the project, the "Tontons du quartier" and the "Badjenou Cox", respected women who are generally responsible for the health of mothers and their children, are recognised in the neighbourhood. They visit the families and advise the young people or mediate between the young people and their parents in matters of sexual and reproductive health. In the project, they receive further training from Intermondes and the health centres. This work gives the older people a social role on the one hand, and on the other, young people find confidants in them.
