Marriage and the family

Britain's underage sex rates
are the highest in Europe

Last updated: 8 January 2008

Young mothers

Britain's underage pregnancy rate is still the highest in Western Europe.

More children are having sex in Britain than in any other European country, according to new figures from the World Health Organisation says The Daily Telegraph.

In England 4 in 10 girls have underage sex. In Wales and Scotland the figures are 39% and 34.1% respectively.

39.4% of British boys have underage sex, with only the Ukraine recording a higher figure.

The new figures build on mounting criticism of the Government's failing attempts to curb levels of teenage pregnancy, with many suggesting that its sex education policies encourage promiscuity among young people.

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