64 Health Concerns of Girls
341
sex workers
Trading girls for money or other needs
Sometimes a poor family will give a young daughter to an
older man to pay a family debt. Or they may trade her for
money or something the family needs.
Sometimes the girls are taken
away to another town or city. They
think they are going to work in
factories, or as maids, but they are
often forced to have sex for money.
If you think that you or another
girl in your community is going to be
sold into marriage, or sent away to
work, try to get help from another
adult. Perhaps an older aunt or
uncle, or a woman teacher can help.
241
safe abortion
If you get pregnant and did not plan to
You may be pregnant if you had
sex and your monthly bleeding is
late, your breasts hurt, you pass urine
often or you feel like vomiting. See
a health worker or midwife as soon
as you can to find out for sure if you
are pregnant.
Many young girls get pregnant when they did not want to.
Some of them are able to get the support they need from
family and friends. For others, it is not so easy.
Talk to someone older who you trust.
Your life is too valuable to lose.
If you are feeling trapped
by a pregnancy you did not
plan and you want to end
the pregnancy, please be
careful in the decisions you
make. All over the world,
girls and women die from
trying to end pregnancies
in dangerous ways. There
are safe ways to end a
pregnancy.
Where Women Have No Doctor  2012