K’taka records over 25,000 teen pregnancies in 11 months | Hubballi News

Raichur: Karnataka reported 25,436 teenage pregnancies between April 2024 and Feb 2025, according to the statistics from Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) Cell.The RCH statistics track teenage pregnancies among girls aged between 14 and 19 across all districts, from 2020-21 to 2024-25 (until Feb). Bengaluru Urban district recorded the highest number of cases last year at 2,723, followed by Belagavi ( 2,622), Vijayapura (1,919), and Raichur (1,649).The state saw 42,120 cases in 2020-21; 44,631 in 2021-22, and 49,875 in 2022-23. The number of cases dropped to 39,606 in 2023-24, and further declined to 26,436 in 2024-25.Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights member Shashidhar Kosambe noted that RCH records also show pregnancy risks beginning at 14-15 years. “There were six such cases in 2020-21,, followed by five,seven, and one in the succeeding years. The actual number may be significantly higher,” he said.In Raichur district, there has been a significant rise in the incidence of teenage pregnancies over the last six years. The number of teenage pregnancies increased from 1,117 in 2020-21 to 1,347 in 2021-22, further to 1,826 in 2022-23, dropped to 1,496 in 2023-24, and again increased to 1,649 this year.District child rights protection officer Amaresh Havin attributed the high numbers to secret child marriages arranged by parents and the physical and emotional changes during adolescence.Bengaluru Urban district, which tops in teen pregnancies, recorded 5,980, 6,453, and 6,696 cases from 2020-21 to 2022-23, respectively. Following this, the number dropped to 4,511 the following year, and as of Feb this year, it stands at 2,723.“In many instances of teen pregnancy, the girl is often unaware of her condition. She discovers it only when she visits a hospital due to stomach pain,” observed Dr Mahesh Govankop. Sources within the RCH department, who verified this information, compiled the report solely based on teen pregnancy cases identified in govt hospitals.“Accurate data collection from private hospitals is also essential. However, due to the secretive nature of these cases, it becomes a matter of speculation, and we must seek effective solutions under the assumption that the teen pregnancy rate remains alarmingly high,” noted Shashidhar Kosambe.Mysuru, Chitradurga, and Hassan also showed significant number of cases, while Udupi reported the lowest with 72 cases.