Teen - Haiti Observer Blog

I guess growing up without a computer, internet, Iphone, Ipod, or you name it, actually has some value. A recent study has found that most Haitian teenagers, specially those living in the country side are very rich individuals, compared to the rich kids im more developed countries such as US, Canada, France, etc..

Sa se pa pou Ti Moun mal Apri nan Potoprins. Se ti "Payisan"

Now I know you are going to jump on me for saying something like this.

Here is what the University of Illinois study found:

1) Haitian kids are very rich in Family relationships. They have a strong sense of family obligation.

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The tradition of peers is followed by most teenagers as far as gift for teens and adolescents are concerned. Teenagers have their individual interests and tastes and would love to receive a gift related to this. Finding a gift that is related to their sport, hobby or favorite past time is the right way to go. If the teen is graduating from college or the high school then a good choice would be to offer the teen something that suits them. The gift should also be practical enough.

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With the weak economy and poor living conditions in Haiti, many women, including teenagers, have settled to becoming prostitutes just to earn. Prostitution is illegal in the country but this does not stop women from getting paid for sex. Since the 1940s, prostitution rings have been active in the country and it only got worse as time went by and catastrophes hit the Caribbean nation.

According to a report in 2005, Haitian children were being trafficked in the Dominican Republic, where they were forced to work as slaves or prostitutes. Many of these children were orphaned, while others can no longer be supported and fed by their parents. As a result, they are brought to the Dominican Republic and sold to families and individuals looking for a child laborer. There were reports that the trafficked children have been physically abused too and some were so traumatized they can not recall how they got to that situation.

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Teen pregnancy rates have fallen over the last 20 years largely due to many teen pregnancy prevention-programs. Education about preventing an unwanted pregnancy comes from several sources. Planned Parenthood, teen mentoring, comprehensive sex education, and pregnancy prevention aids have been helping to reduce pregnancy and birth rates for teen girls.

Teen mentoring programs teach life skills to prepare them for adult responsibilities. They also emphasize relationship skills, using adult and older teen volunteers to teach healthy boundary-setting and how to say no.

Two schools of thought offer advice on how to prevent teen pregnancies. Christians argue the best way to prevent unwanted pregnancies is by abstaining from sex. They go by the teaching that the procreative act should only take place within a marriage. More realistic sex educators assert the use of pregnancy-prevention aids and knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) will lower teen pregnancy rates.

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Although teen pregnancy rates have been falling since 1991, girls who have not graduated high school remain susceptible to pregnancy. Statistics for unmarried teen pregnancies in the U.S. show rates as being higher than any other developed nation.

The Unmarried Teen birth rate showed a decrease over a five-year period, from 1991-1996. In 1991, statistics showed a 12% drop in birth rates among teen girls (62 births for every 1,000 pregnancies), to 54 births for the same number of pregnancies in 1996. Similar rates of decrease occurred in all other ethnic groups.

By 1996, the teen birth rate statistics showed 63 births for every 1000 girls, among 15-19 year olds. Decreases in teen birth rates across all ethnicities showed Latino teen girls as most susceptible to pregnancy, with just a 15% decrease from 1991-1996. Among African-American and Caucasian groups, decreases of 23% and 24%, respectively, in birth rates, reflected a significant deviation from the Latino group.

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If parents, teachers, and the community recognize the signs of an anti-social personality disorder appearing in a youth, they can take steps to get help for the individual. Here are twelve common signs to watch out for.

1. They exhibit cruel treatment towards people and pets. Repeatedly harm, threaten, and physically abuse them.

2. They frequently provoke physical altercations.

3. They use harmful or deadly weapons, for example, a baseball bat, rock, razor, knife or firearm.

4. They steal from people directly, for example, pick pocketing, cell phone theft, hold-ups for cash or credit cards.

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