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Sheila Roseau, Director, UNFPA Sub-region Office for the Caribbean
"The reality is, generally the Caribbean has one of the highest prevalent rate of adolescent pregnancy and generally the birth-rate per country per thousand is normally 49 per thousand. In the Caribbean it's 65, in that number you have adolescence per thousand, a given example, we have the highest which is Guyana. That is 97 per thousand, so can you imagine every thousand birth, 97 belongs to a young person. Belize also has a high number, 90. That is 25% of the general birth-rate of the general population, that's quite high. We also have Jamaica as well coming up with a high number which is 72 and the list goes on. Its high in many of the countries and it's something that we cannot afford to overlook. CARICOM has seen the need for strategies to be put in place to prevent this from happening, to reduce this number and we have worked with CARICOM to develop a strategic framework. The goal of that framework is to reduce adolescent pregnancy by 20% by the year 2019."

Judith Alpuche, CEO of the Human Development
"Indeed it is not enough and it is a persistent, and as the minister said 'vexing' issue indeed and as you point it out, there's been lots of efforts but we really do need to re-double them. The rates for Belize have hovered around 20% or there about of live births for almost a decade now or more even. It really highlights that it is a complex issue with many facets. We're making some process in some areas, however some critical things have yet to be addressed and they have to do with some hot button topics in this country. Unfortunately some cats that we don't want to bell, we don't want to address in any comprehensive way sex and sexuality education for children. That's still an ongoing debate about whether to or not. We have to help parents to open up some more, many parents do but not everyone does. It's still uncomfortable to talk to your child about sex and sexuality but it's such an important conversation to have. because you not only give them the scientific information and the information will come from somewhere so it better be you, but also a chance to transmit your values and expectations on these issues to your child. In terms of young people's access to contraception, that still continues to be a controversial issue and the legal age by which you can actually access this information and these services - Sexual and reproductive health services and information without parental consent, that's an unsolved matter still. We've been talking about it for 20 years and cannot come up with a conclusion because it's hot-buttoned. Because it's deep seated on so many cultural issues, traditional values and gender `dynamics play into adolescent pregnancy. So it's multilayered, it's really no surprise that we've been talking about it, we've been working on it, but it still persists."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Our children are being bombarded by conflicting messages, on the media we hear commercials about condoms and contraceptives. On the other hand we have the moral aspect in terms of making sure you do not have sex at a certain age. So how do you navigate with that, these are two conflicting messages that our youths are being exposed to."

Judith Alpuche, CEO of the Human Development
"We really have to find a way for these things to co-exist. The ultimate is for young people to delay sex until their married or in a committed relationship or until they have achieved their personal goals depending on your point of view. and that's why it's so important for parents to have this conversation so they can help their young people navigate all these messages and be very clear on what their expectations are and how the young person can be supported to live up to those expectations. as I've said, we must talk about abstinence and delaying etc. but we must be real also about the world that we live in. and that's why I talked about, in my address, the secular and the non-secular have to come together. It's really a complex issue and it's not one that's going to go away. If we think about it, even as adults there are unplanned pregnancies, much less with adolescence. What we can do is try to deal with the prevention parts, to really provide the information and the support, etc. and when it happens, for us not to be blaming, shaming or stigmatizing that young person, but supporting them and helping them to make the best of the situation they find themselves in."

According to the statistics, the Caribbean has the highest rate of teen pregnancy. Other sub issues that must be considered are sexual abuse and that in most cases it's an older man and teen girl dynamic.