He was drawn up by Kerigo Odada, a human rights lawyer, who specializes in sexual and reproductive health and rights and currently serves as a member of the Board of youth Coalition for sexual and reproductive rights.
For many adolescent girls and young women around the world, adolescence marks not only the onset of adolescence, but also a time when the risk of dealing with human rights violations, such as sexual violence, exploitation and other negative effects of growth. However, despite the high predisposition to abuse, girls and young women still face multiple obstacles to access to sexual and reproductive health and rights information (SRHR). The cultural values, laws and policies that introduce discrimination, which are guided by the stigma associated with sexuality, make it difficult for the members of this social group to enjoy full access to very necessary SRHR information.
Since April 2020, approximately 1,725 ​​billion students worldwide They were forced by learning institutions due to Covid-19. Although the closure of schools and other locking measures was strategic for controlling the spread of COVID-19, this situation unfortunately meant that many teenage girls and young women were now confined to houses where they were and still are, Increased risk of prolonged sexual abuse, exploitation and negative effects of sex.
Although locking, quarantins and other isolation measures had a negative impact on the life of countless adolescent girls and young women worldwide, it is not the Covid -9 who is responsible for more than one girls raped in the first 17 days of quarantine Peru. It is not Covid -9 that is responsible for “daily average of 48 cases of violence against children, including sexual assault and rape from the beginning of the lock Bolivia“It’s not Covid -9 that is responsible for about 4,000 school girls infused in Machakos County, Kenya Within the first 4 months of locking, nor is it responsible for the impregnation of about 2,300 students and the married of about 128 of these Uganda. These are the consequences of pre -existing gender inequalities driven by androcentric systems of justice, healthcare and education -sympathies that are often designed to protect the perpetrators, leaving girls and young women exposed.
The refusal of adolescent girls and young women The opportunity to freely access SRHR information during this period is a failure on the part of governments because they have a duty to ensure that all persons can fully enjoy the right to health. This approach does not take into account the realities of many teenagers and young women, nor their evolving abilities. SRHR information authorizes members of this social group with basic knowledge, skills and values ​​such as critical thinking, communication, negotiation, decision making, and certainty that authorize them to browse a world where they are particularly sensitive to sexual exploitation and abuse, broadcasts.
Several organizations working in young women’s girls and SRHRs have called on governments to ensure that we do not repeat what they saw during the 2014 Ebola epidemic Teenage pregnancies increased by 65%. These organizations noted that Measures taken to respond to epidemics often leave girls and young adolescent women vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation because they are usually isolated from people, systems and resources that can help them ensure their SRHR. Therefore, precautionary measures such as uninterrupted access to SRHR services and information to ensure the health and well -being of members of this social group must be ensured.
Maintaining communication channels open, up -to -date and support girls and young women play a key role in ensuring that this social group gains practical knowledge that will help them protect them from abuse and other negative sex results. It is therefore imperative that governments, in cooperation with the media, to develop and implement a framework for the involvement of girls and young women on SRHR -related issues.
Information in the media
Media It has one of the greatest potential to promote SRHR worldwide. Given his “ability to disseminate information in a wide, timely and affordable way”, strong collaborations and collaboration with journalists and social media activists are essential to ensuring adolescent girls and young SRHR women. Governments, in collaboration with organizations working on SRHR, should invest in the creation and maintenance of media interest in reporting SRHR issues, as this will ensure that girls and young adolescents have uninterrupted access to SRHR information. This also implies the strengthening of the ability of the media to participate in the matter. Virtual educational educational, laboratories and seminars should be organized to train the media on how to report on SRHR topics. By helping journalists understand deeper the issues will ensure that they have motivations to report them.
A good cooperation with the media can lead to the production and dissemination of quality campaign and educational materials such as films, radio shows, songs, posters, stickers and online campaigns. For example, in BuckA collaboration with the National Coalition to abandon children’s marriage has seen the training of 30 national journalists for children’s marriage, while in Niger, the radio ‘Voix du Sahel’ And nine private radio stations collaborated to broadcast a soap opera that successfully increased the awareness of children’s marriage in the area.
However, as long as the use of the media will be necessary to ensure that SRHR information is accessible to girls and young women, interested parties must also ensure that they implement measures to protect this group as they participate in these media platforms. This is especially important for electronic communication models, such as social media. According to UNICEFChildren are now spending a lot of time online either for school or when they socialize with friends who jeopardize them at risk of sexual exploitation and misinformation. In an exhibition published in April; UNICEF noted that, since the pandemic began, the use of the Internet has increased by 50% in some parts of the world, as life has become more and more digitized. With fewer physically accessible activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, young people spend more internet browsing time. In Canada, for example, Cybertip.ca; An online sexual exploitation of the children’s TIP line, reported a 66% increase in reports in April after the lock was implemented. In India, There was an increase of 95% of traffic seeking content of sexual abuse of children; While in Europe, Europol (European Union Police Service) has heard the alarm Significant increases in activity associated with sexual abuse and exploitation of children in both superficial tissue and dark tissue during COVID-19 locking period.
Governments should cooperate with other stakeholders, such as civil society organizations and community -based organizations to develop strategies for media involvement, both mainstream and social media. This commitment should ultimately lead to the development of a framework for the training of young people in SRHR and should be part of the educational programs in various countries. Corporate relationships will help gather a wide range of people and organizations, thereby facilitating the exchange of information, skills, experiences and materials, while providing support, encouragement and motivation. Corporate relations, especially with popular bases, help to obtain a Community market, which is vital to addressing issues related to young women’s access to integrated SRHR information.
For example, technical, financial and logistical support could be given to initiatives such as Infoadojeunes, a mobile app that was developed in togo to help young people access reliable SRHR information during this Covid-19 period. Another successful initiative is U-Report, a SMS peer tips in Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Uganda, which was developed to support continuous training and answers to young people’s questions and concerns about SRHR. Equipped with U-Report Mentors with mobile access reaching over 200,000 teenagers with youth-friendly information mainly on children’s marriage.
The pandemic has exhibited the fact that the sexual exploitation of teenage girls and young women, despite being a severe violation of human rights, is deeply woven on the upholstery of many societies. A situation that is further exacerbated either by lack of access to SRHR information, or if accessed, information is confusing or contradictory. When this group is not aware of their SRHR, they remain vulnerable to sexual exploitation, coercion, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, involuntary pregnancies and unsafe abortion. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to provide adolescent girls with complete information about SRHR that prepares them for a safe, productive and stunning life. To continue to deny adolescent girls and young women access to this information on the pretext of protecting them from immorality is discrimination and breach of their rights.
Keep in mind that blog posts are not evaluated and do not necessarily reflect SRHM’s views as an organization.
