Close to a quarter (23%) of the teenage mothers in the European Union come from Romania, according to Eurostat data from 2018 quoted by the NGO Salvati Copiii Romania.

Out of the 199,720 births in 2019, 749 involved mothers younger than 15 and 17,933 mothers aged between 15 and 19, the NGO said, quoting data from the National Statistics Institute (INS).

The counties with the most teenage mothers were Mureș – 931, Dolj – 838, Brașov – 830, Iași – 733, and Bacău – 722. 

At the opposite end, the fewest teenage mothers were in the counties of Brăila – 248, Mehedinți – 234, Caraș-Severin – 209, Gorj – 190, and Tulcea – 187.

Out of the 749 mothers younger than 15, 720 were at the first birth and 29 at the second. Among the mothers aged 15 to 19, 13,291 were at the first birth, 3,851 at the second, 710 at the third, 70 at the fourth, and 11 had their fifth child. 

Less than 2% of the teenage mothers said they interacted with the public social services, according to a 2020 inquiry of the NGO.

“We express our concern regarding the high number of pregnancies among girls younger than 15 and 19,” Gabriela Alexandrescu, executive president of Salvați Copiii Romania, said, quoted by Agerpres.

“The high distance to medical practices, the lack of resources to pay for the transportation, and the lack of information on the medical services required during pregnancy prevent many teenage mothers in underprivileged rural areas to see a doctor; many times they wait until things get worse or resort to self-medication during pregnancy. These mothers need additional support, so neither they nor the newborns are in risk situations,” Alexandrescu said. 

The NGO has several programs supporting mothers, including informative campaigns and one to prevent infant mortality. Since 2010, the NGO offered more than 830 items of medical equipment to 100 medical units in the 41 counties of the country, amounting to EUR 6 million. 

During the pandemic, 57 medical units and 79 family practices received protective supplies and equipment. More than 6,800 healthcare professionals received equipment and supplies, the NGO said.

UNICEF: Romania, second in the EU for birth rate among teenage mothers

(Photo: Andre van der Veen/ Dreamstime)

simona@romania-insider.com