Articles

The Straits Times March 26, 2005
Pregnant and alone? Get advice via SMS
The SMS hotline is open 24 hours for pregnant teens seeking advice
By Sarah Ng

Community worker Shaziah Wasiuzzman never lets her mobile phone out of her sight, day or night. Her job is to reply to SMSes that she receives from strangers at all hours of the day.
The messages, averaging about 20 a day, are cries for help from frightened teenage girls who find out that they are pregnant and need someone to talk to. Miss Shaziah tries to put the message senders at ease and persuade them to go for face-to-face counseling.
The 24-hour SMS helpline, called Babes, was born after voluntary welfare organization, Beyond Social Services, studied the experiences of 17 hospitals, clinics and voluntary welfare organizations, and found that many teenagers don’t know what to do when they become pregnant.
Given the stigma attached to teen pregnancy, Beyond Social Services wanted to reach out to the girls in a non-threatening manner. SMS seems ideal because many youngsters today are comfortable with the medium, and it ensures privacy.
Miss Shaziah, a social work graduate, said: “It’s easier for young people to send an SMS to a stranger about their problem than to pick up the phone and talk about it.”
Beyond Social Services’ executive director Gerard Ee, a family therapist, said the SMS helpline lets pregnant teens take that crucial first step in seeking help. That assistance includes counseling, medical services – including post-natal checks and shelters.
Figures from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports show that in the first eight months of last year, teens made up 66 per cent of single mothers referred to the medical social work department at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).
The plight of unwed mothers makes the headlines regularly when they youngsters either abandon or kill the newborns. Just last week, a 23-year-old undergraduate was charged with throwing her newborn girl down the rubbish chute of a Toa Payoh block.

Lending support to Babes are six other agencies: aLife, KKH, Pregnancy Crisis Service, Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre, Andrew and Grace Home and Rose Villa.
The SMS service, launched on Feb 21, has so far received more than 254 SMSes – 70 per cent from pregnant girls, aged 14 to 24, their boyfriends or their parents.
At least 18 pregnant teens have been identified, and seven have agreed to meet for further help.
A typical message usually starts with the teenager saying that she is pregnant and doesn’t know what to do. Miss Shaziah then replies telling her to share more about her situation.
When she feels that a rapport has been built, usually after 10 messages, she invites the teen to meet in a public place, like a café to discuss getting further help.
She keeps a log of the SMSes for updates on the girl’s situation.
Jasmine 17, knows what it’s like to be pregnant and clueless. When she found herself one pregnant two years ago, she was too scared to tell her mother and unable to discuss it with her then boyfriend, who wanted her to abort the baby.
Jasmine, whose daughter is now two years old, said: “When you are pregnant at such a young age, it’s very daunting to go to a centre and talk to someone about it because you worry about how they will judge you.
“With SMS, at least you don’t have to face the person initially.”
Teenagers in need of help can contact SMS Babes on 8111-3535 or call the National Pregnancy Helpline on 1800-MUM-TO-BE (1800-686-8623)

http://www.beyond.org.sg/StaticBeyond/Articles/Newspaper%20articles/Pregnant%20and%20alone.pdf