Adolescent Reproductive Health

1. Adolescent Reproductive Health Presented by: Dr. Richard O. Muga (MBS) National Co-ordinating Agency for Population and Development, Nairobi-Kenya Seminar for African Journalist held at Hilton Hotel, Nairobi-Kenya on 15-18th June 2006.

2. STI’s and HIV/AIDS • World Wide: 111 million of 333 million new cases of STI’s occur to people under age 25 years • Kenya: Among those tested for HIV/AIDS 3% (711) and 0.4% (745) of women and men aged 15-19 years respectively have been infected with HIV/AIDS

3. Adolescent Reproductive Health

4. CURRENT SITUATION OF ADOLESCENTS

5. Outline of the presentation • Adolescent sexual experience • STIs and HIV/AIDS • Contraceptive use • Female genital cutting • Pregnancy and child bearing • Unsafe Abortions • What can we do?

6. Introduction • Adolescents are those aged 10-19 years • Globally, those aged 10-19 years are estimated at 1.2 billion • Most men and women become sexually active during adolescence • Adolescents reproductive health decisions outcomes are highly devastating • Adolescents face several barriers such as social norms and cultural taboos about young people’s sexuality

7. Sexual Behavior among Youth • Women: almosthalf of young women have sex by the time they turn 18. And more than one in ten (13%) have sex by the time they are 15. • Men: Young men start having sex at an earlier age. Sixty percent had sex by age 18, and a quarter had sex by age 15. • Sub-Saharan Africa: 30% of unmarried women (15-19 years) have had sex

8. Outcomes of sexual behaviour • 70% of adolescents in Kenya engage in high risk unprotected sex • STI’s, HIV/AIDS • Increased risks of unwanted pregnancies • Unsafe abortions resulting into severe illness • Complications during abortions causing infertility and deaths

9. Premarital Sex and Condom Use Percent

10. Teen Pregnancy and Motherhood Percent of women age 15-19 who are mothers or pregnant with their first child. Eastern 15% North Eastern 29% Rift Valley 31% Western 27% Central 15% Kenya: 23% Nyanza 21% • World wide it is estimated that 15 million women aged 15-19 give birth every year Coast 29% Nairobi 20%

11. Risks of Early Child bearing • Less education hence lower future income for young mothers • Social rejection by community • Obstructed labour resulting into permanent injury or death for mother and infant • Premature and low birth weight deliveries

12. Unsafe Abortions • Unsafe abortions have serious health risks • Globally, 2.5 million unsafe abortions occur among adolescent girls aged 15-19 years • Pregnancy related abortions and child birth are leading cause of deaths to adolescents aged 15-19 years • Kenya, 4 in every 10 women who die from unsafe abortions are adolescents

13. Contraceptive Use • Contraceptive use among the adolescents is very low • Sub-Saharan Africa 35% of unmarried sexually active women use modern contraception • Kenya: only 5% of sexually active adolescents use modern contraceptive methods

14. Current Use of Family Planning Percent women (age 15-24) using a family planning method Age • Sub-Saharan Africa: 35% of unmarried sexually active women (15-19 years) use modern contraception

15. Female Genital Cutting • Between 100 million and 180 million women world wide have undergone FGC practice • Every day some 600 girls world wide are at risk of undergoing FGC • Kenya, 20% of women aged 15-19 years have undergone FGC • The practice of FGC is currently outlawed in Kenya under the children’s Act of 2001

16. Female Genital Cutting • Female Genital Cutting have serious consequences on women: • Infections, pain and bleeding which can lead to shock and possibly death • Prolonged and obstructed labour • Fistula • Inability to enjoy sexual rights

17. What can be done? • Provide sexual and reproductive health information and services to adolescents • Put in place proper Legislation • Support multi-sectoral programmes • Provide health education to adolescents such as responsible sexual behaviour, HIV/AIDS, sexuality, family planning

18. What can be done? • Encourage parents to actively involve themselves in adolescent reproductive health issues • Train more peer educators to reach out the adolescents • Provide integrated health services to adolescents such as family planning information and services

19. What Can Be Done? • Establish adolescent-friendly services • Ensure adolescent-friendly services have high quality information necessary for informed consent • Increase opportunities for women’s education and employment • Encourage alternative rites of passage

20. Global Appeal • Adolescents today are increasingly facing more reproductive health challenges than ever before • More efforts is needed by all actors to address adolescents reproductive health issues • Invest in the young people today to assure tomorrow

21. Who we Are • NCAPD is a SAGA established through legal notice no. 120 of 29th October 2004 • Provide leadership in Population and development matters • Assess multi-sectoral population issues and support stakeholders • Advocate for Political and other support to address population issues

22. Who we are Mission: To provide leadership in Formulating, Coordinating and implementing Population Policies and Programmes for Sustainable Development Vision: To be an institution of excellence in Population Policy formulation and Management Contact: Chancery Building, 4th Floor, Valley Road P.O BOX 48994-00100 Nairobi, Kenya. Tel:+254-20-2711600/1 +254-20-2711711 Fax: +254-20-2716508 E-mail: info@ncapd-ke.org Website: www.ncapd-ke.org