Perceptions of Young People on Young Parenthood from the Ghanaian Community in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Young parenthood is seen as a global phenomenon. Many countries are faced with the challenge of teenage pregnancy hence becoming young parents. However, this is not the same for many countries in Europe such as Denmark, Switzerland and the Netherlands. These countries have achieved remarkable success in relation to teenage pregnancy. Although the Netherlands has lower rates of teenage pregnancy, teenage pregnancy is high among young people of ethnic minority background. This was intriguing because there is a huge gap between young people from native Dutch background and young people from ethnic minority background. Having in mind the effectiveness of comprehensive sexuality education in the Netherlands and how informed young people are about their sexuality I was curious to find out perceptions of young people from Ghanaian community on teenage pregnancy and young parenthood. This study used qualitative methodological approach to gather data. Face to face interviews were used to gather rich, informed and deep information from the participants. The findings revealed that young people from the Ghanaian community did not see their position as young parents as problematic but are exercising their agency as a result of the education they have about their sexuality. This according to them has empowered them to make informed decisions about their future. For those young people who were not young parent they also perceived that they have made such decisions as a result of the education on CSE and the various experiences about young parenthood from their family and neighbourhood which has shaped their life choices.