By Sue-Ann Wayow
TEENAGE pregnancy births rates in the Caribbean remain at an unacceptable high as governing bodies attempt to deal with one of the major issues affecting populations.
Other key population issues that remain at the forefront in the Caribbean are the migration of persons to first world countries resulting in a depleting workforce in specialised areas, domestic violence against women and the high HIV rate, just second after the Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Caribbean Forum on Population and Development took place this week in Antigua and Barbuda to discuss the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus that prioritises eight population and development issues.
The forum was jointly organised by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.
In a joint release, the bodies stated the adolescent birth rate remained with an estimated 60.2 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 for the 2010-2015 period.
Belize, Jamaica and Guyana register some of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the region.
The Caribbean is far behind in ensuring the right to full, free and informed contraceptive choice especially for women who need and want long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, the release stated.
According to the release, the annual growth rate for 2023 was projected to be 0.37 per cent, down from 0.61 per cent in 2000 and this growth rate is projected to turn negative in 2038.
“This means that the Caribbean population will decrease. In many of these countries, it is the coincidence of low fertility rates with net out migration which results in population decline. By 2050, it is projected that there will be 88 countries and territories with declining populations, of which 21 will be in the Caribbean,” the release stated.
According to the United Nations, the Caribbean is moving into its second demographic transition as falling fertility rates take place almost on the same level of death rates.
This means that population ageing is affecting all Caribbean countries and has important implications for pensions and social welfare policy, the workplace, population health and the demand for care services.
Almost 5.5 million Venezuelans have fled their country as at 2021, out of which an estimated 150,000 immigrants and refugees have settled in the Caribbean, specifically in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Aruba and Curacao.
Some Caribbean governments are being prompted to reconsider the contribution that migrants, either from outside the Caribbean or from other Caribbean countries, can make to national development.
The release also stated that maternal mortality was still significantly higher in Caribbean countries than in developed regions.
In most countries, the ratio is somewhere between 27 for Barbados and 169 for Guyana maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes as well as HIV are main causes of maternal deaths.
In 2018, prevalence of HIV among adults was highest in Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas.
Gender-based violence, including sexual violence continues to be prevalent in the region.
Recent studies conducted in Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago indicate that 27-40 percent of women are reported to have experienced violence at the hands of their partners the release stated.
The Trinidad and Tobago delegates were: Planning Minister Pennelope Beckles, Independent Senator Dr Varma Deyalsingh, Tobago’s Secretary of Dr Faith B Yisrael, Godfrey St Bernard, Ava Rampersad,Samantha Rampers
