Risks and Consequences: An Analysis of Unintended Pregnancies and Unsafe Abortions among Female Factory Workers in Sri Lanka

Abstract

In Sri Lanka, the occurrence of unsafe abortions remains a significant issue although the country only allows abortions when a woman’s life is at risk. The Female Factory Workers (FFWs are among the groups particularly susceptible to unsafe abortions. The objective of this research is to investigate the knowledge and practices of FFWs regarding unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortion. A structured questionnaire was administered by a team of trained interviewers among randomly selected 608 FFWs of reproductive age using multi-stage cluster sampling after receiving writing informed consent. The knowledge among FFWs regarding managing unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortion is relatively limited. In particular, the knowledge of younger respondents is significantly lower compared to adults, placing them at higher vulnerability if they engage in sexual activity. The occurrence of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions is not uncommon within the group of FFWs who have experienced pregnancy, with rates of 22% and 7.4% respectively. Nearly half (47%) of the pregnancies reported among young FFWs were unintended. Among the 22 women who had undergone an abortion, 5 had never utilized any form of contraception, while 20 had never used Emergency Contraceptives. Focused interventions are needed to address the issue. Improving FFW’s knowledge and access to resources can benefit both workers and management in long-run.