Influence of vodou rites and initiation practices on incidence of early pregnancy in the maritime region of Togo.

Abstract

Togo, like other sub-Saharan African countries, is not spared from the phenomenon of teenage pregnancies. Each year, on average, about ten cases of teenage student pregnancies are recorded in schools. Despite multiple efforts by the Togolese government and non-governmental organizations to stem this phenomenon, it still persists and is growing. This paper aims to analyse the influence of the Vodou workshop practice on the occurrence of adolescent pregnancies. The paper relied on analysis of 105 Key Informant Interviews in four villages in the maritime region. The results reveal that the Vodou rites and initiations practices constitute a major preventable factor in the causation of early pregnancies among teenagers in rural Togo.