Sexual and reproductive health and rights information,
education and evidence-informed data are key to ensuring
that young people know how to protect themselves from HIV
and access HIV testing and treatment. This was the main
message from an event—Breaking Down Barriers to Youth
Empowerment—organized by the Permanent Mission of
Denmark to the United Nations in Geneva and UNAIDS and
held on 24 May, on the sidelines of the 70th World Health
Assembly.
The event provided a platform for young people to be at the
centre of the discussion, with a call to double efforts in
scaling-up and ensuring adequate access to quality sexual
and reproductive health and rights information.
The participants noted that access to clear, accurate and
evidence-informed information and education supports the
capacity of young people to protect their health, rights and
dignity and to stand up to discrimination and violence. It
also serves as a critical stepping stone for accelerating
socioeconomic growth and progress. Yet, there are major
barriers and challenges that must be addressed.
In many settings, access to sexual and reproductive health
and rights information is constrained by legal and policy
barriers, such as parental consent requirements for
adolescents and youth to access services, including HIV
testing. In countries with high levels of early and forced
marriage, spousal consent requirements also put young
women and girls at increased risk of HIV infection.
The participants concluded that limited access to accurate,
high-quality, evidence-informed information, education and
data on sexual and reproductive health and rights
jeopardizes young people’s health and survival.
QUOTES
“YOUTH FACE THE GREATEST HEALTH BARRIERS. ONLY
BY AND WITH THE MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT OF
HEALTHY CITIZENS CAN WE UNLEASH THE FULL
POTENTIAL OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST YOUTH
GENERATION AND BUILD HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS AND
SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES THAT DRIVE PROGRESS AND
DEVELOPMENT NOW AND FOR THE FUTURE.” BENEDICTE STORM YOUTH ADVISER TO THE
PERMANENT MISSION OF DENMARK TO THE UNITED
NATIONS IN GENEVA
“YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, REINFORCED BY SEXUAL AND
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS ADVOCACY AND A
STRONG EVIDENCE BASE, ARE THE KEYS TO A
PROGRESSIVE FUTURE. IN RESPONSE TO EXISTING
GLOBAL HEALTH BARRIERS, YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS
THE WORLD SHOULD BE EMPOWERED TO CHALLENGE
THE STATUS QUO.”
CHRISTOPHER HARPER JAMAICA YOUTH ADVOCACY
NETWORK AND ACT!2030 JAMAICA ALLIANCE
“INFORMATION ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE
HEALTH AND RIGHTS SAVES LIVES. THE MORE
CONSTRAINTS YOUNG PEOPLE FACE IN ACCESSING
INFORMATION, THE MORE WE RISK AN UPSURGE OF NEW HIV INFECTIONS, AIDS-RELATED DEATHS AND HIV-RELATED STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION.”
LUIZ LOURES UNAIDS DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Credit: UNAID
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