The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is prepared to shelter pregnant unmarried teenagers who have been abandoned by their families.

Its minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim stressed that such measure was not meant to encourage the incidents but to protect and ensure the well-being of the affected individuals.

"There are situations where the parents are not ready to accept their pregnant daughters, so it is our responsibility to play a role to address the issue," she told reporters here Saturday.

Earlier, she launched a 'Family With A Mission' Camp organised by non-governmental organisation, Focus on the Family Malaysia.

One hundred and twenty-five participants from 30 families are participating in the three days and two nights activity.

On the Health Ministry report on Thursday that there are approximately 4,500 cases of out-of-wedlock teen pregnancy in Malaysia yearly, Rohani said her ministry had already established shelter homes for the relevant purpose.

"After receiving treatment at a government hospital, the girls are sent to a shelter home and provided counseling by the Social Welfare Department.

"They will continue to attend school and their infants taken care of by the department; we usually ask them whether they wanted to keep their babies or not," she said.