Unplanned teenage pregnancy

This chapter addresses unplanned teenage pregnancy from a human-rights-based perspective. Many programmes focus only on the negative aspects of young people's sexual and reproductive health; putting rights at the centre of teenage sexual health avoids treating adolescents as a homogeneous collection of discrete problems. Taking a rights-based approach to adolescent sexual and reproductive health encompasses the inter-relationships and complexity of factors influencing choices and decisions. In this chapter we explore the meaning of a rights-based approach and examine its implementation in the provision of sexuality, education and health services. We provide examples of international strategies for ensuring the participation of diverse young people and generating youth-friendly services to meet their sexual and reproductive needs and rights.