Lack of access to SRH&R: Its Negative Impact
Brighton Ilukena
Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor| Development of MEAL systems and Management information systems using Kobo Toolbox| Creation of Dashboards in Excel and PowerBI| Data Analytics| Project Management
Adolescents in Zambia face significant challenges in accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), particularly due to legal restrictions on the age of consent and limited availability of youth-friendly services. The age of consent for SRHR services is set at 18 years and there is no harmonization with the customary laws that allow a child as early as 15 years to be in marriage. This excludes younger adolescents from essential healthcare, education, and resources. This limitation contributes to high rates of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
The chart highlights disparities in pregnancies and readmissions among school-aged adolescents across different regions, with Eastern Province showing particularly high rates. These figures underscore the urgent need for accessible, youth-friendly SRHR services to address regional disparities and support adolescents' health and well-being. Additionally, stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV further deter young individuals from seeking necessary services. Addressing these barriers is crucial for improving the health and well-being of Zambia's youth.[1]
The overall HIV prevalence in Zambia stands at 11.1% among individuals aged 15–49, with women exhibiting a higher prevalence (14.2%) compared to men (7.5%). Notably, HIV prevalence among young women aged 15–24 is 5.6%, which is considerably higher than the 1.8% prevalence among young men in the same age group. The prevalence rates are also notably higher in urban areas (15.9%) compared to rural areas (7.1%).[2]
MUST WE NOT BE CONCERNED!
There is urgent need to also look at the Comprehensive Sexuality Curriculum (CSE), review it, and see if it is producing intended outcomes.
[1] Education Statistical Bulletin 2020
[2] ZDHS 2018
Civil Society Self - Coordinating Mechanism (CSSCM) Capacity Building| Advocacy | Strategic Communication | MASC - D | BSW | Dip PM
7 个月Certainly thanks for the valuable information, it clear besides the efforts being done with various stakeholders. They is a missing gap coupled with the climate change shocks which is a ticking time boom that will trickle down to adolescents and young persons in terms of mental health issues in times of disaster.