PETALING JAYA: Global research shows that inclusive, age-appropriate sex education drastically reduces teen pregnancies but in Malaysia, most adolescents still lack access to such programmes, prompting experts to call for urgent reforms.
Consultant paediatrician and child advocate Datuk Dr Amar Singh HSS said the recent focus on teenage pregnancies is long overdue, stressing that official figures capture only a fraction of the problem.
He warned that many unintended pregnancies likely end in unrecorded abortions.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2022 revealed an alarming picture: 7.6% of teens admitted to having had sex, 5.7% were sexually active at the time of the survey, and 33% had sex before age 14.
Most (88%) did not use any birth control, while 11% had more than one partner, Dr Amar said.
“The knowledge of Malaysian teens regarding sexual and reproductive health is poor,” he said, highlighting that even married teenage pregnancies pose serious health risks and long-term economic consequences.
He called on the government to release more detailed data to identify risk factors such as poverty, school dropout, lack of community support, sexual abuse and substance use so that interventions can be better targeted.
Crucially, he said, Malaysia must focus not just on girls but also boys.
Dr Amar noted that while programmes such as KafeTEEN are beneficial, they reach only a fraction of Malaysian youth.
Between 2006 and 2023, 1.1 million teens participated in the National Population and Family Development Board’s reproductive health initiatives, but an estimated seven to eight million adolescents passed through those years.
“The majority of our teens, and probably the higher-risk groups, remain unreached,” he said, arguing that schools are the only platform with nationwide reach.
Health Ministry data recorded at ministry facilities between 2020 and 2024 show that 41,842 girls, aged 19 and below, were pregnant. Among them, 16,951 (40.5%) were not married.
Child rights activist Datuk Dr Hartini Zainudin said teenage pregnancy cannot be viewed solely through the lens of poverty.
“It’s about what’s available to teens and the fact that contraceptives aren’t discussed or easily accessible in public,” she said.
She cited studies showing that teenage mothers are overwhelmingly more likely to have low educational attainment.
“Pregnant adolescents were over 16 times more likely to have only primary-level education compared to adult mothers,” she said, adding that they were also 14 times more likely to be single at the time of delivery.
She called for fully implemented, properly taught comprehensive sexuality education, rather than the “watered-down version” currently in schools.
“The most effective child-protection measures will be those that keep girls in school, empower families and create a coordinated, community-wide support network that is accessible and trusted by young people,” she said.
Children’s Commissioner at Suhakam, Dr Farah Nini Dusuki, said adolescent brain development continues into the early 20s, making guidance, monitoring and consistent support crucial.
She said current programmes are “commendable”, but must be evaluated to determine if they are reaching the intended groups.
“Resilience must be built as early as possible. One-off programmes or sporadic campaigns are no longer effective,” she said, calling for empowerment of parents, teachers and children through both formal and informal platforms, including digital spaces.
She added that sexuality education must evolve with children’s capacities, starting with safe-touch lessons in preschool.
Children’s Protection Society Malaysia (KL branch) chairman Tengku Datuk Asra Jehan Tengku Azlan highlighted how cultural taboos continue to block access to vital information on pregnancy risks, sexually transmitted diseases and protection.
She said dysfunctional family environments, hardship and poor parental communication heighten risks for teens, stressing that parents must take an active role.
“Compassionate communication over authoritative communication has been proven to be effective.
“A child who feels loved, valued and heard makes better decisions,” she said, urging parents to teach self-care, dignity and resilience alongside schools delivering proper reproductive education.
