News
Nearly a third of all women in developing countries become mothers during adolescence
UNITED NATIONS,New York – Almost one third of women in developing countries had their first baby while they were still in their teens, a recently released report shows, with nearly half of those new mothers aged 17 and younger – still children themselves.
Gender-based and income inequalities are highlighted as key in fuelling teen pregnancies by increasing child marriage rates, keeping girls out of school, restricting their career aspirations, and limiting health care and information on safe, consensual sex. Entrenching these inequalities are climate disasters, COVID-19 and conflict, which are all upending lives around the world, obliterating livelihoods and making it more difficult for girls to afford or even physically reach school and health services. This leaves tens of millions yet more vulnerable to child marriage and early pregnancy.
“When nearly a third of all women in developing countries are becoming mothers during adolescence, it is clear the world is failing adolescent girls,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. “The repeat pregnancies we see among adolescent mothers are a glaring signpost that they desperately need sexual and reproductive health information and services.”
Most births among girls under the age of 18 in 54 developing countries are reported as taking place within a marriage or union. Although more than half of those pregnancies were classified as “intended”, young girls’ ability to decide whether to have children can be severely constrained. Indeed, the report finds that adolescent pregnancy is often – albeit not always – driven by a lack of meaningful choice, limited agency, and even force or coercion.
Even in contexts where adolescent motherhood is considered acceptable and planned for, it can carry serious and long-term repercussions, especially when health-care systems fail to ensure accessible sexual and reproductive care and information for this vulnerable age group.
Complications in pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19 years, who are also far more likely to suffer a litany of other violations of their human rights, from forced marriage and intimate partner violence to serious mental health impacts of bearing children before they are out of childhood themselves.
Almost one third of women in developing countries had their first baby while they were still in their teens, a recently released report shows, with nearly half of those new mothers aged 17 and younger – still children themselves.
Gender-based and income inequalities are highlighted as key in fuelling teen pregnancies by increasing child marriage rates, keeping girls out of school, restricting their career aspirations, and limiting health care and information on safe, consensual sex.
Entrenching these inequalities are climate disasters, COVID-19 and conflict, which are all upending lives around the world, obliterating livelihoods and making it more difficult for girls to afford or even physically reach school and health services. This leaves tens of millions yet more vulnerable to child marriage and early pregnancy.
“When nearly a third of all women in developing countries are becoming mothers during adolescence, it is clear the world is failing adolescent girls,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. “The repeat pregnancies we see among adolescent mothers are a glaring signpost that they desperately need sexual and reproductive health information and services.”
Most births among girls under the age of 18 in 54 developing countries are reported as taking place within a marriage or union. Although more than half of those pregnancies were classified as “intended”, young girls’ ability to decide whether to have children can be severely constrained. Indeed, the report finds that adolescent pregnancy is often – albeit not always – driven by a lack of meaningful choice, limited agency, and even force or coercion.
Even in contexts where adolescent motherhood is considered acceptable and planned for, it can carry serious and long-term repercussions, especially when health-care systems fail to ensure accessible sexual and reproductive care and information for this vulnerable age group.
Complications in pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19 years, who are also far more likely to suffer a litany of other violations of their human rights, from forced marriage and intimate partner violence to serious mental health impacts of bearing children before they are out of childhood themselves.
Girls who give birth in adolescence also often go on to have more than one baby in quick succession – which can be dangerous both physically and psychologically. Among those who first gave birth at age 14 or younger, nearly three quarters had a second baby before they turned 20, and a staggering 40 per cent of those had a third before they left their teens.
Adolescent births now account for 16 per cent of all births in the world, and the report shows women who began childbearing in adolescence had almost five births by the time they reached age 40. With inequalities and humanitarian crises multiplying and intensifying, we know women and girls are bearing an unequal burden of the consequent physical, psychological and economic turmoil.
In conflict as in climate disasters, schools and health facilities are frequently reduced to rubble and devoid of staff and equipment. Insecurity and violence render it impossible for people to move around even for basic necessities, including contraception and other critical sexual and reproductive health care.
Crises and displacement are also known to lead to spikes in gender-based and sexual violence, in turn causing more sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies from rape, and rising rates of forced and child marriages as parents struggle to cope with financial hardship and aching hunger. Under these circumstances, access to employment, education and health services is disrupted or suspended entirely, pushing girls out of school, women out of the workforce and leading child marriages and unintended pregnancies to soar.
The Supreme Court has been petitioned seeking an explanation as to how eight petitions filed against the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution were not listed for hearing . Two of the petitioners, namely Dias Bandaralage Ajith Shantha Kumara Jayathilaka and Gunathilakage Dakum Dulara Gunathilaka, have requested an opportunity to examine the official Registry and parliamentary records so that all material facts may be objectively established. They said that their petitions that had been registered by the Supreme Court should have been heard along with other petitions.
The Registrar of the Supreme Court, Secretary General of Parliament, Speaker and the Attorney General have been named as the respondents.
The five-member bench that heard the petitions consisted of Chief Justice P. Padman Surasena, Achala Wengappuli, J, Arjuna Obeyesekere, J, Sampath B. Abayakoon, J and K.M.G.H. Kulatunga, J.
The petitioners sought the explanation in the absence of any judicial order dismissing, rejecting, striking out, terminating or otherwise disposing the said petitions. They have requested the disclosure of the complete procedural history of the unlisted cases.
The second petitioner Gunathilaka has referred to a speech by Jaffna District Independent MP Ramanathan Archuna in Parliament, on 21 August, 2026, regarding X-Press Pearl, a container carrier that sank off the port of Colombo, and related matters.
They have sought leave to proceed under Articles 17 and 126 of the Constitution and asked for a full Bench of the Supreme Court, or the widest Bench, constitutionally permissible.
They also requested that the Chief Justice and Achala Wengappuli refrain from participating in the hearing and determination of their application, having regard to the objective-appearance issue arising from their prior constitutional and judicial participation in matters forming part of the factual subject matter now requiring examination.
Meanwhile, General Secretary of Vinivida Foundation, Nagananda Kodituwakku, has requested the Supreme Court Registrar not to proceed with the determination of 22nd Amendment process, pending the hearing of fundamental rights petition filed by Chairman of the Vinivida Foundation lawyer, Sugandhika Fernando, seeking a full bench, excluding Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, to hear the petitions challenging the 22nd Amendment Bill. She also requested that the hearing be suspended immediately until the matter was fully heard and determined.
Among the respondents are Chief Justice Surasena, the first respondent, and Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe. Justices Yasantha Kodagoda, Shiran Gooneratne, Achala Wengappuli and Priyantha Fernando.
(SF)
Sri Lankan passport holders travelling to Thailand wouldn’t be eligible for visa-free entry from 15 September, 2026, according to a new visa notice issued by the Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo.
Under the new measures, all Sri Lankan travellers will be required to obtain a Thai visa before departing for Thailand. Visa applications must be submitted online through Thailand’s official e-Visa system.
The Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo has also clarified that it will not accept visa applications submitted in person or in physical form.
According to the Embassy, tourist visa applications submitted by Sri Lankan passport holders are expected to take approximately 3–7 working days, calculated from the date on which all required documents have been duly completed and submitted.
Processing times for Non-Immigrant Visa and DTV (Destination Thailand Visa) applications may take longer.
Foreign nationals residing in Sri Lanka or the Maldives who hold valid work or residence permits may also require additional processing time.
The Embassy has cautioned applicants that it reserves the right to request additional documents or information when necessary. Applicants may also be asked to attend a visa interview on a case-by-case basis.
The new requirement represents a significant change for Sri Lankan travellers, who will need to complete the visa process before travelling to Thailand from September 15 onward.
The Embassy has urged applicants to rely only on its official communication channels for the latest visa requirements, procedures and updates.
News
Expertise France and the EU launch media project to strengthen environmental journalism in Sri Lanka
A comprehensive new media initiative is officially underway in Sri Lanka following the official signing of agreements with the French media development agency, Canal France International (CFI), and the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) yesterday. Backed by the European Union-funded Green Recovery Facility programme, the “Media Capacity Building Programme for the Promotion of the Green Transition” aims to strengthen the reporting of environmental, climate, and economic stories across the country.
Environmental journalism in Sri Lanka has traditionally given significant attention to natural disasters and their impacts. This initiative provides an opportunity for journalists to broaden this coverage by exploring a wider range of environmental issues, including climate finance, green investment, sustainable development, biodiversity, and the policy and economic dimensions of the green transition.
The programme will support journalists in strengthening their technical and investigative skills to explore these issues in greater depth and produce sustained, evidence-based reporting. Participants will be equipped with tools to analyse complex climate finance issues, examine public policies, and follow the flow and impact of green investments.
For Sri Lanka, ‘green transition’ is not an abstract concept; it is a pathway to urgently needed macroeconomic stability and sustainable growth. However, for this transition to succeed, the public must be well-informed, and institutions must be held accountable.
By empowering reporters to translate highly technical financial and governance concepts into accessible public-interest narratives, this project ensures that everyday citizens understand how green policies impact their livelihoods, energy prices, and communities. Crucially, it aims to mainstream the lens of ‘just transition’ and gender equity by encouraging the voices and perspectives of women and vulnerable populations to be heard, considered, and taken into account in the national environmental discourse.
The programme is designed to deliver high-impact, nationwide action. Implemented by Expertise France (EF), in partnership with Canal France International (CFI), the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), and the Ministry of Mass Media as the primary institutional beneficiary, it moves beyond traditional classroom-based learning.
Key highlights of the initiative include:
Trilingual Foundation Training: Intensive capacity building for 60 journalists across Sinhala, Tamil, and English media to ensure nationwide reach and inclusivity.
Mentored “Story Labs”: The rollout of six intensive Story Labs where journalists will receive direct editorial mentoring to investigate, produce, and publish high-quality, data-driven green transition stories
Youth Outreach: Engaging journalism students and young media practitioners through university and youth activities to develop stories on green transition and public policy issues.
Learning and Sharing Networking Event: Bringing together journalists, experts, policymakers, and key stakeholders to share learning, showcase stories produced through the programme, reflect on knowledge gained, and develop future story ideas on green transition issues.
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