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Sex Education in Panama's Schools, Teen Pregnancy, and the Law


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Child and teen pregnancies soar

Posted on September 21, 2016 in Panama

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Child and teen pregnancies soar

Teenager and child pregnancies continue to soar  In Panama with 6,365  deliveries between January and August in Ministry of Health (MoH)facilities.at the rate of one every 54 minutes

The figures do not include pregnant young people seeking medical care in the Social Security Fund (CSS) or private clinics.

During the first eight months of this year for every 100 pregnancies, 31 were teenagers was 30.5.

The  index is higher in Darien (37%), Colon  (36%) and Bocas del Toro (35.5%).

Areas with fewer teen pregnancies in the country this year are the Guna Yala (25.5%) and Panama Metro (26.3%).

According to the World Health Organization, a teenager is  between 10 and 19 years of age.

In 2015 there were 10,976 cases of teenage pregnancies, 241 more than in 2014.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/child-teen-pregnancies-soar

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14 year olds give birth to third baby

Posted on September 22, 2016 in Panama

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 AT LEAST 14 year old girls gave birth to their third child in Panama during 2014 says a newly released report.

Additionally 22 girls under 15 years had their second baby and 645 per below that age had their first child.

As pro and anti activists wrestle with the question of sexual education in schools the report entitled “Live births of the Republic,” revealed the grim statistics

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/14-year-olds-give-birth-third-baby

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Marie, dont know about the U.S., but the U.S. Is not the World.  Lots of places where the age of consent is much lower and  I would suspect Panama is one of them.  What I was trying to say, obviously clumsily, is that the rate of pregnancy amongst 17 to 19 year olds likely skews the important data for the kids under 16.  

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Report: 188 Pregnancies in Girls under 15 by Adults in 2014.

A report from the National Institute of Statistics has revealed that, during 2014, a total of 188 girls under 15 years of age became pregnant by adults

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"En Panamá 188 hombres adultos embarazaron a niñas menores de 14 años en el 2014"

The report, entitled "Live births of the Republic," found that seven of the fathers were over 40, and 24 were over 30.

In half the cases, the identity of the father was not known.

The figures quoted only include live births and not abortions.

The Penal Code sets a prison sentence of up to 10 years for having sex with children under 14.

http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Panama-hombres-adultos-embarazaron-menores_21_4582251736.html

Edited by Keith Woolford
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Wow, such a low age of consent in Panama.  In the US if both children are 15, the male is still charged and listed as a sex offender for life.  I believe is an older woman has relations with an underage boy, she is considered a child abuser.

Edited by MarieElaine
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On September 23, 2016 at 7:58 AM, JohnF13 said:

In my mind 17 to 19 year olds are no longer children.  I feel the stats would have more impact if the data set stopped at 16.

JohnF13

Your words make me go back into history and customs... not only in Panama but in several places of the world and specially the developed countries.

At the 1800's and the first decades of the 1900's where boys went to only elementary schools and girls didnt have access to formal education and reaching puberty meant that a boy became a man and has to go working with his father and older members of the family and girls became "woman"  and learned all the trades at administering the house and helping their moms raise their brothers and sisters and were elegible to be married and have family.  At that younger ages boys and girls were taught to work, being responsible and raise a family.  There are numerous stories were girls married and had children at ages ranging from 14 - 16.  Well life expectancy was 55 for men and 45 for women.  

Through the years things changed and now we have boys and girls that are not good at ages of 18 -22.  So there is a huge differences in the customs and traditions our grandparents had on those days.

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1 hour ago, Roger B said:

JohnF13

Your words make me go back into history and customs... not only in Panama but in several places of the world and specially the developed countries.

At the 1800's and the first decades of the 1900's where boys went to only elementary schools and girls didnt have access to formal education and reaching puberty meant that a boy became a man and has to go working with his father and older members of the family and girls became "woman"  and learned all the trades at administering the house and helping their moms raise their brothers and sisters and were elegible to be married and have family.  At that younger ages boys and girls were taught to work, being responsible and raise a family.  There are numerous stories were girls married and had children at ages ranging from 14 - 16.  Well life expectancy was 55 for men and 45 for women.  

Through the years things changed and now we have boys and girls that are not good at ages of 18 -22.  So there is a huge differences in the customs and traditions our grandparents had on those days.

 

 

 

 

 

Roger, I agree.  Both my wife and I left home at 16 to enter the workforce.  My father was a coal miner at 14, my wife's father joined the army at 14 (lied about his age!) and served in WW2.  As time went on, kids began staying at home longer and longer, principally in European Counties but also in the U.S.  This has led, IMHO, to generations of kids who do not have the maturity to handle life situations even at relatively advanced ages of 22 or so.  However, those changes did not include hormonal delays and indeed, because of changes in diet an other societal mores, it can be argued that these hormonal urges are presenting earlier and earlier.  That and the free time associated with lack of responsibility will result in earlier sexual activity.  Countries such as Panama are a little different.  From my observations there is very little for the 10 years and up kids to do, especially in the outer reaches such as rural Chiriqui.  At the same time the kids are becoming more sexually aware and with lack of supervision, advice and direction tend to act on those feelings.  Couple that with poor access to contraceptives and the results are predictable.  It really is a perfect storm.  As a Country, you cannot preach abstinence, it just doesn't work, much to the chagrin of the Bishops.  I dont want to get into politics here, but better sex education is a must along with contraceptive advice.  Hmmm, think Ill climb down off the soapbox now.

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3 hours ago, MarieElaine said:

Wow, such a low age of consent in Panama.  In the US if both children are 15, the male is still charged and listed as a sex offender for life.  I believe is an older woman has relations with an underage boy, she is considered a child abuser.

Well I never said that 15 is the age of consent. And for sure they are having sex much younger. I have also heard of young teen girls messing around with much younger boys. This from the mother.  I think what is happening and not just here due to easy access to porn etc is a little beyond my generation to comprehend and I'm not that old!

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  • 1 month later...

Slightly lower numbers from last year, but alarming even so.

HEALTH

7,567 teen pregnancies reported between January and October

A report of the Ministry of Health revealed that, from January to October, there were 7,567 cases of teen pregnancies, a rate of 25 cases per day.

These statistics do not include reports of pregnant young women seeking medical care from Social Security or private facilities.

The Attorney General's Office has opened 24 investigations into fetuses and infants found dead in Panama City.

During the first 10 months of this year, for every 100 pregnancies, 30 were teenagers.

The statistics are higher in the Darien (33.4 percent), Colón (34.1 percent) and Bocas del Toro (35.7 percent).

According to the parameters of the World Health Organization, teen pregnancies occur between the ages of 10 and 19.

During 2015, there were 10,976 cases of teenage pregnancies, 241 more than in 2014.

The government is currently debating a law that would mandate sexual education programs in public schools to address this problem.

http://www.prensa.com/in_english/ninas-adolescentes-Panama-enero-agosto_21_4618998057.html

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Sex with a minor means jail time

Posted on December 4, 2016 in Panama

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SEX  WITH A MINOR, even in a permanent relationship can put the adult behind bars for two-four years.

This is one of the amendments promulgated by Law 60 of November 30, 2016, which amends Law 29 of 2002 covering child pregnancies and other provisions.

Article 13 amends article 176 of the Criminal Code, which removes the exception that left unpunished  sexual intercourse with a minor when there was a permanent relationship that The age difference does not exceed five years’.

This prohibits any sexual relationship between an adult and a minor.

In addition the law states that if a relationship with a minor involves  pregnancy,  the penalty will be increased from a third to half of the maximum.

The lawyer of family Lester Almengor says the modification is excessive in the sense that if an adult (who just turned 18 years) maintains a relation with a minor of 17, he  will go to the jail because the law says so.

“I understand that the authorities are looking to protect the child, but such an extreme situation will ruin the young man’s future,” he claims.

He said that the authorities should pay more attention in education and promote values so that children understand the consequences of their actions and not just repress the adult.

The new law states that Senniaf, INAMU, Meduca, Minsa, CSS and Mides should promote programs that encourage adolescents to postpone the onset of sexual intercourse until they reach physical, emotional and mental maturity.

No follow up
Teresita Yaniz de Arias, proponent of law 29 of 2002, said that it is useless to make modifications to a rule if it is not ensured by the fulfillment of the existing one.

He said that of the 10,976 pregnant minors, reported in 2015, how many were pregnant by an adult has not been reported .

“The authorities are obliged to follow up on these cases and condemn those responsible but do not do it,” she said.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/sex-minor-means-jail-time

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No law is any good unless it is enforced.  What about sexual assault within the family?  I have heard that  there are indigenous families where young girls are fair game regardless of family afiliation.  Then there are those sex offenders who come here from other countries to prey on young children because laws are not enforced.  A pedophile will always stalk and test a child before making a move.  Then they convince the child to not talk about it for fear of retribution.  Not only is sex education important, building the self esteem of these young girls/boys is essential.  They need to know it is wrong for adults to do these things and that they should say no and tell someone they can trust so laws can be enforced.  All this in a 5 hour school day?  So many changes have to be made to make this problem go away.

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“Cowardly” sex education debate halt

Posted on January 18, 2017 in Panama

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AS LAWMAKERS  in Panama’s National Assembly  cover their ears  eyes and mouths and dodge inconvenient issues, battle lines are again being drawn over the decision to suspend the discussion of the draft law that would require sexual education to be taught in public schools.

Representatives of organized civil society and groups largely backed by religious organizations are back on the airwaves expressing widely differing viewpoints.

When the issue was last before the Assembly, church led groups, marched in their thousands to oppose a  bill to introduce sex education.

Juan Francisco de la Guardia, president of the Panamanian Alliance for Life and Family, congratulated Deputy Gabriel Soto, chairman of the Labor, Health and Social Development Committee of the National Assembly, for suspending the debate.

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Annette Planells

Meanwhile , Annette Planells of the Independent Movement Movin said that it was a “cowardly” decision, because “there is a clear need to address issues such as high teenage pregnancy rates and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/cowardly-sex-education-debate-halt

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26 adults father babies with 14 year-olds

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AT LEAST  126 adult men made girls of 14 or under, pregnant  in 2015 says  a newly released report  from Panama’s Comptroller General.

The report: Live Births of the Republic, by Age of the Father “reveals that Six men over the age of 40 impregnated girls of 14 or younger.

The report also notes that 13 men, over 30, are the fathers  of babies whose mothers were  14 or younger.

The document states that 120 men, under the age of 20, also impregnated girls  under 15 years of age during 2015.

In the majority of pregnancies among girls under the age of 15 (357 cases), ie 59.2%, the age of the father is indeterminate, so that the number of adult men responsible for these pregnancies is greater.

The figures cited only cover live births and non abortions.

Jail time
The Criminal Code of Panama establishes a prison sentences  of three to 10 years for adults who have sex with children under 14 years.

In Panama, every 12 hours a minor is a victim of sexual abuse  says a Comptroller report

On  the figures of children and adolescents attended in the courts during the year 2012.

The official report reveals that 728 minors were treated for sexual abuse in the childhood and adolescence courts.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/26-adults-father-babies-14-year-olds

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282 girls under 14 with babies by live-in partner

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DURING 2015, some 282 girls under the age of 14 living with a partner  in Panama had a baby

A report from the Office of the Comptroller General Republic entitled “Live births in the Republic by Marital status”  reveals that  in  2015. a total of 603 girls under 14 had a child. Of these, 321 were single and 282 lived with a partner.

Among girls living in “concubinage,” the Comptroller General listed six girls between 11 and 12 years.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/282-girls-14-babies-live-partner

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1,572 teen moms in two months

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A BABY with an  adolescent mother was delivered every 54 minutes in Panama during the first two months of the year, totaling 1,572,  says a newly released Ministry of Health (Minsa) report.

The Minsa figures  do not include young  pregnant women seeking care  at Social Security facilities or in the country’s private clinics.

During the first months of the year, for every 100 pregnancies, 28.5 were adolescents. The World Health Organization considers an adolescent pregnancy as  between the ages of 10 and 19 years

During the year 2016 there were 11,298 teenage pregnancies, 322 more cases than in 2015.

The number of deliveries jumps  in the months of November and December, the result of Carnival  liaisons.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/1572-teen-moms-two-months

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A profesora in Panama City has been taking some heat over her physical demonstration of childbirth in the classroom.

It seems that a student made a video of the demo and it went viral on local social media.

"Young people lack guidance and nobody dares to use the orthodox methodology that i use," were the words with which the professor Teresa Argüelles, teacher of the School Isabel Herrera Obaldia, located in Paitilla, defended her way to educate students, this Wednesday, March 22.

Argüelles, an educator for 19 years, explained that she has always spoken to the "Girls and boys against unwanted pregnancies" because that is what is currently going among young people.

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http://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/Profesora-Escuela-Profesional-Isabel-Herrera-Obaldia-no-teme-sanciones-polemico-video_0_4717028254.html

The Ministry of Education announced today that Profesora Arguelles will not be sanctioned.

http://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/educacion/Meduca-no-sancionara-profesora-Teresa-Arguelles-Escuela-Profesional-Isabel-Herrera-Obaldia_0_4717028293.html

Good for her.

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26 schoolgirl pregnancies a day in first quarter

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PANAMA, where sex education in schools is widely  opposed,  recorded over 26 schoolgirl t pregnancies  a day in the first quarter of 2017  with a total of 2,358 in Ministry of Health (Minsa)  hospitals.

The World Health Organization, (WHO) defines an adolescent as aged 10-19

Young pregnant women seeking medical care at the Social Security Fund (CSS) or  in the country’s private clinics are not included in the Minsa statistics.

During the year 2016, there were 11 298 cases of  adolescent pregnancies an increase of 322 over the previous year.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/26-schoolgirl-pregnancies-day-first-quarter

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