SRHR Knowledge among Adolescents in Sunamganj

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), someone aging between 10 and 19 is an adolescent, with the years 10 to 14 and 15 to 19 as early and late adolescence, respectively.

Bangladesh has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies outside of Sub-Saharan Africa, according to UNFPA. Out of 1000 teenage girls, 113 become pregnant before 19 years. Also, especially in rural regions, 47% of Bangladesh’s unmarried girls have faced sexual violence.

In rural Bangladesh, unmarried adolescent females are expected to be modest and, at least theoretically, opt out of knowledge about sex and contraception. Adolescent marriage is incredibly frequent, especially in rural places. Adolescent girls consequently lack awareness of sexuality and contraceptive knowledge prior to having their first sexual encounter. This knowledge includes safe sex, marital rape, sexual norms, consent, and sexual pleasure. Because of this ignorance, people experience diminished pleasure, unintended pregnancies, and risky abortions after or even before marriage.

This study intends to investigate the knowledge of contraception and sex education among young, unmarried females in rural Bangladesh. This research illustrated the diversity of sexuality and contraceptive knowledge as well as the societal viewpoint on reproductive knowledge. Unmarried adolescent girls who are currently in school or have completed high school make up the study’s target demographic. Along with capturing the awareness and activities of parents and teachers regarding sex education of the target population, the contribution of community-based groups such as courtyard, community mobilization, or monthly meetings (governmental and non-governmental) has been investigated. This study was carried out in the rural Sunamganj Upazilas of Jaganathpur, Sunamganj Sadar, and Tahirpur.

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