Safaids dig deeper in the plight of risk adolescent girls

Zulu says, Safaids is lobbying not only for the harmonisation of policies and building consensus in the uses of contraceptives among young girls but also  for the reduction in the age of consent.

By Francis Maingaila
Lusaka (16-10-19) SAFAIDS Zambia has reached an advanced stage in assessing the age eligibility for risk school going girls tocaccessing contraceptives pills to prevent unwanted pregnancies during their school circle.
Safaids Zambia Country Director Gaston Zulu said in an exclusive interview on the side lines of a consultative meeting contraceptives for the adolescent held at Cresta Golf View Hotel on Thursday that, there are many sexually active girls that get pregnant and are kicked out of schools.
“More than half the girls kicked out of school due pregnancies don’t even have the chance to get back to school because the available policies surrounding the provision of contraceptives don’t allow children to access contraceptives.”
As a result of this, Zulu said, many girls to resort to unsafe abortions the situation which has led many of them to meet premature deaths.
In order to come up with a solution, Zulu disclosed, Safaids Zambia working with partners embarked a consultation process aimed at not not only to come up with consensus but harmonize the policies surrounding the use and provision of contraceptives.
He said through lobbying and advocacy, the Zambian government will review all the policies that are not friend to the child rights.
He said Safaids Zambia not only wants to see the creation of new policy that will assist young enjoy their right but develop thr consensus on the age of consent when risk young girls can begin to access contraceptives.
Zulu said the goal of building consensus and harmonizing the policies is not only to improve access to, and quality of, family planning services by providing policy-makers, decision-makers and the scientific community with recommendations that can be used for developing or revising national guidelines on the use in the provision of contraceptives but also protect risk girls from unwanted pregnancies which will lead to early marriages being detested by societies today.
He said the efforts being made will also assist the people to hold policy makers and budget holders to account in allocating adequate resources to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (SRH)  for adolescent girls and young people.
At the moment, Zulu observed, there mixed reaction on age of risk girls on the use of contraceptives in schools
He said the continued questions as to whether or not the use of contraceptives to risk girls can help the situation will determine as to whether there will be need to come up with the age of concent for young girls to use contraceptives as a measure to stop unwanted pregnancies will lead to early marriages.
He observed that the cumulative evidence available indicating that there is an increased risk of getting pregnancies.
He said there is evidence suggesting that girls at high risk of getting pregnant can use contraceptives to protect themselves.
He said the uncertainty over whether there is a causal relationship among girls and about how to minimize their risk of getting pregnant.
He said consultation which Safaids is making will help to come up with the recommendation to prioritise the needs and rights of women wanting to prevent pregnancy, who are at a high risk of acquiring HIV, – as well as to safeguard the value of contraceptive.
He is of the view that some of the recommendation will means, that girls at high risk should not be denied the use of contraceptives as a measure to stop unwanted pregnancies.
He said a shared decision-making approach to contraceptive use among school going child who are at risk of getting pregnant should be taken with all individuals, but special attention should be paid to vulnerable populations.
He said the recommendation is critically important for the health risk girls
He said the normonal contraception has the capacity to protects risk girls against unintended pregnancy.
He observed that lack of access to contraception for girls may lead to unintended pregnancy, and subsequent maternal mortality and morbidity, as well as other poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes.