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Pregnant teens in Kenya’s low-income areas avoid health care because of fear and stigma

By Anthony Idowu Ajayi, Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center
Caroline W. Kabiru, Senior Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center
Anne Achieng, Research Officer
“I feared people and feared the doctors because they would probably judge or insult me. So, she (mother) told me no, that should not be the case, and so she offered to take me.”

These were the words of Wanjiru (not her real name), a 17-year-old adolescent mother from an informal settlement in Nairobi. Her story reflects the deep fear and stigma that many pregnant adolescents experience when navigating access to antenatal care services. Her case is typical of a broader problem, where judgmental attitudes from health providers and community stigma discourage young girls from accessing…The Conversation


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