World Population Day occurs every year on June 11. It is an event that marks the significant of trends and issues throughout the world.
It originally began when interest grew in anticipation of when the World’s population would reach 5 billion, which was recorded on July 11, 1987. Now over 20 years later, the World’s population has surpassed 7 billion.
World Population Day now aims at engaging people to spur commitment and spark actions related to the opportunities and challenges presented by a world of 7 billions people.
Every year UNFPA launches a campaign based on a specific topic in an attempt to bring awareness and change to current and future challenges. Last year the focus was on adolescent pregnancy, which is a topic that all parents should discuss with their teenagers.
Did you know what 16 million girls under the age of 18 give birth each year? Another 3.2 million undergo unsafe abortions. For many of these girls pregnancy has little to do with an informed choice but is a consequence of rights violations, inadequate education and discrimination.
Last year World Population Day successfully raised awareness of this issue in the “hopes of delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.”
The theme for this year hasn’t been released yet, but check back in a couple of days to see what important message UNFPA are sending.
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