Women under 16 years of age were at an increased risk of being raped, possibly because they are defenseless and vulnerable. Three quarters (3/4) of the assailants had some form of relationship with the victims, which may account for the delays in reporting. Children and young adolescents were more at risk than adults to be raped.

The adolescent maternal mortality ratio is high in Jos, north-central Nigeria. The main causes of maternal deaths among the adolescents were unsafe abortion, eclampsia and sepsis. The Hausa/Fulani ethnic group constituted the largest ethnic group of adolescent maternal deaths in our study. The risk factors for adolescent maternal mortality found in our study were illiteracy, non-utilisation of antenatal services and Hausa/Fulani ethnic group.

The stillbirth rate in our centre is high, major causes being abruptio placenta and maternal medical conditions. Maternal HIV infection has emerged as a major contributor to stillbirths in this study.

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