Lack of adequate information in Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Services is said to be one of the contributing factors to unintended pregnancies, contraction of HIV and STl’s among the adolescents and young people in the Country.
This was revealed on Friday during a media breakfast conducted by Hivos in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Yoneco in Lilongwe.
The meeting under the theme: “Age of Consent for Adolescents’ Access to Health Services,” sought to build consensus and harmonization among key stakeholders to reduce barriers to access sexual reproduction health services for adolescents and young people in the country.
HIVOS Programs Manager, Nana Zulu underscored the need for explicit, clear and comprehensive laws as well as policies that support adolescent access to Sexual Reproductive Health Information and Services.
“We look forward to seeing how the stakeholder consultative processes on the age of consent will translate into enabling laws, policies and practices to ensure that SRHR is a lived reality for young people in Malawi,” said Zulu.
On his part, Ministry of Health’s National Coordinator for SRHR, Hans Katengeza said the media has a vital role to play in creating public awareness on the age of consent including accurate reporting on SRHR issues among adolescents.
