Adolescent sexual health in Dhaka’s Slums

Almost every girl in Bangladesh knows at least one method of contraception. Still, the number of unwanted pregnancies is very high.

More than half the girls (61%) stated that they used modern contraception, the others used traditional methods or no method at all, according to the World Bank Group and the International Center for Research on Women.

Adolescent married girls in the slums of Dhaka have very limited access to contraception. Reasons behind not using contraception at all are the desire to become pregnant and being prohibited by their husbands or by cultural norms to use contraception.

Misconceptions, myths and poor knowledge of contraception create increased health risks for adolescent mothers.

Full report: “ADOLESCENT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH IN DHAKA’S SLUMS, BANGLADESH” by World Bank Group.