The Lagos State Government says no fewer than 24.2 per cent of women in the state have their first sex before 18 years.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, said this on Thursday while delivering a lecture at the Inspiration FM’s (92.3) Inaugural Lecture and Award Ceremony on Victoria Island.
Idris, who spoke on ‘Reproductive Health: Beyond Cultural Limitations and Concerns,’ said the statistics were based on the report of the National Demographic and Health Survey and the Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey.
“Nationally, the figures are about 51 per cent. This implies that in Lagos, one out of every four women would have been exposed to sex before 18 years, while the national average for Nigeria is one out of two women.
“With an average age of first birth at 20 years, about 22.5 per cent of pregnancies are by teenagers in Nigeria. More worrying, however, is that reports show that as of this year, about 40 per cent of women in the South-West have experienced physical violence since age 15. Sexual violence cannot be excluded from the statistics.
Lagos State Commissioner Says-24% Of Women Have Sex Before 18 Years.
