AGI and AHI Tackles HIV/AIDS Among Youths
The Comet Newspaper
March 7, 2004

In sub-Saharan Africa, about one-third of those infected with HIV/AIDS are women and men aged 15-24. The plight of young women and men appears to be worsening. Close to a third of Nigerian women in their early 20s and men in this age group said they had pre-marital sex as teenagers.

Among sexually active men aged 15-19 nearly four out of ten had more than one partner in the past year. Over 1.3 million young Nigerian are infected more than in any other African country except South Africa.

Nigerian government has been giving considerable attention to the reproductive health issues and needs of young people. The 1995 Adolescent Health Policy, which promotes sexuality as a natural and positive part of life, was developed in response to a large amount of research showing that many adolescents already engage in sexual activity, that they sometimes take sexual risks, and that they lack information on reproductive health issues.

The government has also sought further protections for Nigerian youth by passing the Child Right Bill, which, among other things, sets the minimum age for marriage at 18 years old.

Still, greater effort is needed to continue translating policies into action. In practice, the sexual and reproductive health needs of young often receive little attention. Young men and women must overcome significant obstacles in finding friendly, affordable service and must also deal with stigma and financial barriers in obtaining the information and care they need to have safe sexual relationships.

Young people and their contributions to society are essential to the development and prosperity of nations worldwide, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa.

To this end, Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) in collaboration with Action Health Incorporated organized a Reproductive Health Consultative Summit in Abuja last month, the venue was Abuja Sheraton and Towels Hotel.

The aim of the summit according to a statement was to create awareness and to increase public knowledge about the prevailing reproductive health situation among relevant stakeholders.

The pre-release event attracted a total of 108 people comprising the media, professionals, programme managers, donors and other key stakeholders in the reproductive health field in Nigeria.

The forum presented an opportunity for participants to broaden their knowledge about sexual and reproductive health status of young people, especially women. The event also witnessed an exchange of views and experiences on the data presented.

Speaking on behalf of Dr. Akinriola Bankole, Associate Director for International Research at AGI, Dr. Boniface-Oye Adediran of the Campaign Against Unwanted Pregnancies (CAUP), said that poverty put adolescents at a risk by denying them the resources they need to obtain sexual and reproductive health care.

"To curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic and avoid unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, we need to teach young people more about prevention. We must provide medically accurate, comprehensive sex education and information ", he said.

These conclusions he said are the result of extensive research done by AGI. The full results will be published later this year in two separate reports on the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents.

First Report - Risk and Protection: Youth and HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 24 countries in the last five years to provide a regional over-view of adolescents knowledge of HIV/AIDS and behaviours that put them at risk or protect them from infection. It also examines the social and economic context of adolescents' lives in an effort to understand the progression of the epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa.

Second Report: Meeting the Reproductive Health Needs of Adolescents Women in Nigeria: this describes the current childbearing experience of adolescents women in Nigeria, explores factors associated with varying levels of teenage births around the country and identifies the continuing reproductive health needs of Nigerian women.

At the end of the presentations, participants asked questions and answers were provided. Some of the questions asked include: 
Why is there a higher prevalence of male than female in the use of condom?
What are the negative side effects of condom?
How can we move forward towards the promotion of adolescent development in the country?

Some of the observations made by participants include: Participate should seek ways of eradicating the HIV/AIDS epidemic and unsafe abortions in communities.

Adolescents offer a window of opportunity for positive change. By addressing the needs of young people, it is possible to reduce the incidence of unplanned adolescent pregnancy and unsafe abortions, to slow down and ultimately wipe out the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Both of these reports illuminate the current state of adolescent reproductive health in Nigeria and throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of youth will require commitment of resources and giving attention to those needs.

Some of the special guests at the event include: Professor (Mrs.) Ebele Maduewesi of the Nigerian Education Research Development Council (NERDC), Dr. Adenike Adeyemi of Federal Ministry of Health Director, Reproductive Health, Mrs. E.M. Oyinloye co-ordinator, HIV/AIDS unit, Federal Ministry of Education and a host of others.