A civil Society Organisation (CSO), Hacey Health Initiative, has solicited the support of South-West state governments towards achieving sustained Sexual and Reproductive Health Rightsof female adolescents.
The Hacey Initiative, which said that there were laws already enacted by these states, urged them to enforce the laws.
The Programme Officer of Hacey, Tomilola Oni, who spoke, yesterday, during a stakeholders’ roundtable meeting in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, with the theme, “Building Movements to Sustain Sexual and Reproductive Health and Right Interventions,” said that they organised the forum to seek the support of stakeholders, especially in the five states of the region.
She said that the new project was being undertaken in Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Lagos and Ekiti states to ensure effective SRHR interventions in the states in the interest of the society, especially the female adolescents.
Oni, who lamented the emotional and mental challenges faced by these youths, said they would be committed to collaborating with other CSOs, including religious leaders, to promote healthy behaviour among youths and reduce unintended pregnancies including Sexually Transmitted Infections(STIs)
According to her, the project was designed to build the capacity of youth-based CSOs with relevant and adequate access to information on SRHR services in a bid to address the challenges faced by the vulnerable youths.
She said:“Sexual and reproductive health issues pose a significant challenge for vulnerable adolescents and young people (AYP) in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Two-thirds of illnesses among women of reproductive age in this region are attributed to SRH problems. It is a collaborative effort from every segment of the society because we cannot continue to wait on the government to do it alone. We know we have laws already; we are calling on the state governments to enforce these laws.”
The Ekiti State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr OyebanjiFilani,commended Hacey for the project, adding that the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji was committed to collaborate with relevant organisations towards achieving desired results on the project.
Filani, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Olusola Gbenga-Igotun, stressed the need for young citizens to be exposed to adequate information on sexual and reproductive health rights.
