Speakers yesterday at a discussion opined that both government and non-government organisations need to work together to purge the country of teenage pregnancy.

Terming teenage pregnancy a "slow killing process", they emphasised preventing child marriage to stop teenage pregnancy.

White Ribbon Alliance Bangladesh and The Daily Star jointly organised the roundtable discussion with the media on "Zero Tolerance to Child Pregnancy" at the capital's The Daily Star Centre.

"If child marriage cannot be stopped, teenage pregnancy won't be stopped," said White Ribbon's National Coordinator Dr Farhana Ahmad, adding that complications in pregnancy and childbirth are among the top causes of death of girls aged 15-19.

Even if a girl manages to survive childbirth, she constantly remains under the risk of post pregnancy-related complexities, she said, mentioning that 65 percent of all cases of obstetric fistula occur in girls under 18.

Dr Malay Kanti Mridha, research associate of Public Health Sciences Division at ICDDR,B, said, "When a girl gives birth to a baby with low weight, not only the chance of its death is high, but also its mental and physical growth is hindered."

Demanding more budget allocation for stopping teenage pregnancy, he said now only two percent of national budget is allocated for the health sector.

Dr Ikhtiar Uddin Khandaker, head of health programme of Plan International, said, "It is not possible for the government alone to stop teenage pregnancy. All stakeholders need to act from their respective positions to stop it." He also underscored massive campaign to popularise use of emergency contraceptive pills to stop unwanted pregnancy.

Gynaecologist Dr Samina Chowdhury suggested involving scouts, civil society, and cultural organisations in campaigns against teenage pregnancy.      

Dr Baizid Khoorshid Riaz of National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine also addressed the programme attended by Jamil Ahmed Ibrahim, chief executive officer of Journalism Training and Research Initiative, as moderator. Social Marketing Company General Manager Taslim Uddin Khan also spoke.