The federal goverment has been called upon to suppport Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV/AIDS (AYPLHIV) and their organisations to engage in advocacy, governance/grant implementation processes, especially Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) on legal and human rights issues relating to Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and HIV.
The Senior Programme Officer-Monitoring and Evaluation at the Association of Positive Youth Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (APYIN) Edward Agom Ogiji, made the call in Abuja during a press briefing to commemorate the 2019 International Youth Day (IYD) held on the theme, “Transforming Education for Young People with HIVAIDS and sexual reproductive health and rights education: to create, empower and meaningfully engage youths to end AIDS achieving 95-95-95 by 2030.
Ogiji lauded the significant reduction in the number of people living with HIV in Nigeria, from 3.1/million, to to 1.9 million with the new HIV prevalence at 1.4%, however, he expressed worry on the new HIV infections among adolescents and youths especially in young women of 20-24 years, having four times the prevalence of males in the same age groups.
” This is not healthy for the country’s HIV response approach including the education sector,” he said.
He lamented the poor access to SRH and HIV information commodities like comdoms, contraceptives and other services, stressing that this contributes to high levels of unintended pregnancy and the spread of HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s).
He therefore called on all relevant stakeholders such as the ministry of justice, health, NACA and the National Aids and other STI’s Control program (NASCP) to put in place policies and guidelines guaranteeing young people’s right to highest attainable standard of health.
“Taking into consideration that most adoleacent become sexually adventurous at this age and the attendant health risk , it is paramount to provide HIV, s and reproductive health information and services to them.
” Many adoleacents and young persons are limited by legal barriers amidst other factors such as culture, and economic status therefore, access to these information and services is constrained, he said.
“They need right to access information and education esential to their health and development including on SRH and HIV, the right to access quality SRH and HIV services that are sensitive to their concerns and freedom from violence, he said.
The Financial Secretary, APYIN, Gloria Ogodo, stressed the importance of giving youths the right information concerning their sexual and reproductive health, saying many parents have misinformed their children leading them to get desperate solutions to their problems.
Also, the Advocacy Manager for ASHWAN , Esthee James, called for all hands to be on deck, stressing the need for government to address issues around parental consent, availability of family planning commodities at all levels and a strengtened youth-friendly health centers.
