Eradicating Teenage Pregnancy in Irewole Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria for the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

For the purpose of social transformation, development and sustainability, the call for gender equality across the globe is desirable. There has been a lot of scholarly contributions as regards Sustainable Development Goals. However, less attention is paid to the girls’ education which is often hindered by teenage pregnancy. Girls’ education is one of the major Sustainable Development Goals under Gender equality. This study aims at investigating the causes of teenage pregnancy and its adverse implications on girls in Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State. The selection of the said Local Government is informed by the discovery that the area can be associated with the subject-matter. The local government is predominantly an agrarian environment. Participatory observation, descriptive survey, oral interview and focus group discusion are the methods employed to gather data for the study. Both the quantitative and the qualitative research instruments are applied in the study.The study establishes that both social and cultural factors contribute to the menace of teenage pregnancy in the local government investigated. The study suggests among other things that there is an urgent need to reorientate the minds of the young girls in the local government and the need to empower those who are already victims of the ugly age-long trend