By Nurin Adila Shahrin, GEC volunteer

More than 40 participants gathered for the second session of Gender Equality is Our Culture’s (GEC) Ramadan Talks, to learn more about the causes and consequences of teenage pregnancy and marriage within the Malay-Muslim community in Singapore. Since 2006, the Malay community has consistently had the highest proportion of births to mothers aged 19 and below. In addition, there is a higher occurrence of teenage marriages under the Muslim Law Act as compared to those under the Women’s Charter.  To understand this phenomenon, we were pleased to invite Babes, a service that reaches out to and supports pregnant teenage girls, and Associate Professor Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman from NUS, to share their insights.  

Babes was initially launched in 2005 under Beyond Social Services to provide support for teenagers with unplanned pregnancies. Babes helped 191 individuals over the helpline in 2016 alone and support 60-80 teenagers who have unplanned pregnancies annually.

They shared anecdotes from some cases that they have worked with and it became clear that family and partner support is crucial in helping teenagers work through this stressful period in their lives.

The rate of teenage marriage and pregnancy has been declining over the years. However, the consequences of teenage marriage – such as marital instability and poverty – remain a concern. A/P Noor Aisha’s research findings show that majority of Malay-Muslim couples in teenage marriages come from families with a household income of less than $2000 and dropped out of school early.   

Participants repeatedly brought up the need for comprehensive, judgment-free sex education – one that does not merely preach abstinence. They proposed that sex education start at an earlier age, as those who drop out of school early may not have the chance to access it. In addition, sex education should be made more easily available both within and outside schools. They suggested that removing the taboo surrounding sex and the shame associated with teenage pregnancy would allow for more open discussions, facilitate the implementation of better policies, and improve the lives of those struggling.

Others were concerned that the stigma of being a single mother and lack of support for them meant that marriage is sometimes the only way to avoid the cultural shame – not to mention a way to alleviate the financial burden through government incentives such as the Baby Bonus and housing grants. It is understandable then why teenagers choose to marry even if they don’t comprehend the consequences of doing so.

One participant spoke about her work with teenage girls who were pregnant, where she made it a point to ask about their ambitions so they know that there are still opportunities for them to achieve their dreams. Teenagers should know that there are other pathways and options for them despite their pregnancy.

Teenage pregnancy and marriages can create a recurring cycle of poverty for families from disadvantaged backgrounds. This phenomenon is compounded by teenage marriage procedures for Muslim marriages. While non-Muslim teenagers below the age of 18 would need the consent of their parents and the Minister of Social and Family Development for marriage, Muslim teenagers below the age of 18 only need the consent of their parents and a kadi (solemniser). The complexity of the laws begs it to be dealt with from various angles. From tackling normative ideas to structural inequality, there remains a pressing need to conceptualise a concrete plan that could improve the lives of many families who are affected.