By Milliam Murigi
Over ten years, nations throughout Africa have achieved significant improvements in teenage sexual and reproductive well-being.
However, specialists currently caution that these advancements face significant danger due to decreasing support money and increasing oppositional viewpoints.
As stated by Dr. Anthony AjayÃ, a Research Scientist with the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), the region faces the potential loss of 16 years of progress if leaders and key players do not take firm action.
"We need to protect the sexual and reproductive well-being of teenagers despite budget reductions and increasing resistance groups. Protecting this area isn't about maintaining an easy-going situation, but rather ensuring the progress achieved in teenage health and reproductive freedoms," Dr. Ajayi states.
Sub-Saharan Africa has seen notable advancements in enhancing the well-being and entitlements of teenagers during the last ten years, such as lowering HIV rates among teenage females and young women, increasing female enrollment in educational institutions, and reinforcing legislation aimed at supporting youth.
The area has also managed to change negative societal customs previously seen as unchangeable, including female genital cutting and early marriages in certain regions. These transformations are described as proof of evolving social attitudes and improved legal safeguards for girls and young people.
Furthermore, over 10 nations have incorporated thorough sex education into their official educational programs, and various government bodies have additionally implemented changes aimed at safeguarding expectant and raising girls from being excluded from schooling.
"A group of teenagers in this area enjoys greater protection now than ever before in history. Nevertheless, this advancement is still vulnerable, particularly with global financial reductions endangering crucial HIV prevention and healthcare initiatives," states Dr. Ajayi.
Almost half of HIV prevention programs in countries with heavy disease burdens continue to rely on outside funding, primarily from one major contributor, sparking concerns that infection rates might start increasing once more by the end of the decade.
As stated by Awour Ayiecho, Senior Associate, Investment to Impact at Development Dynamics, even though international assistance for health and development has declined since approximately 2015, with conditions deteriorating throughout and following the COVID-19 outbreak, reductions in financial support from key contributors like the United States have heightened worries regarding the sustainability of critical healthcare initiatives.
At present, according to her, donors' focus is progressively moving from health and social progress towards issues of national security, military buildup, and immigration control.
"More and more financial support is being directed towards security and border management instead of real developmental achievements," Ayiecho states.
Financial gaps are already leading to severe impacts. Countries have begun reporting rises in avoidable illnesses, infectious disease spread, and infant mortality across the globe.
Critical support for kids and young people is increasingly difficult to obtain, particularly in areas already facing climate-related disasters, wars, and financial uncertainty.
"The positive aspect is that nations are progressively allocating resources towards internal funding strategies, such as family planning initiatives, programs focused on adolescent well-being, digital advancements, and tech-based approaches aimed at enhancing youth access to knowledge and critical health services," states Ayiecho.
Growing pushback from anti-rights organizations presents an additional obstacle for adolescent health and reproductive rights. As stated by Dr. Ajayi, initiatives that have been recognized for enhancing teenage well-being are now encountering greater opposition from structured activist groups.
Anti-government factions are growing more structured, well-supported financially, and gaining greater sway inside local organizations, such as the African Union.
We've seen anti-rights groups bring PrEP into court as a challenge to cultural norms," says Dr. Ajayi. "In certain areas, sex education is being put on hold, and some nations are declining to renew their commitments to regional accords.
He added, "The budget reductions challenge our ability to act. The opposition questions our right to act. One undermines our capacity, while the other disputes our authority."
At present, as stated by Tabitha Saoyo, a human rights attorney and Co-Director of the Strategic Issues and Research Council Kenya, there is an ongoing review of a proposed African Charter on Family Autonomy and Ethics, which is anticipated to be submitted to the African Union in February of the following year.
The proposed constitution allegedly characterizes sexual and reproductive health and rights as a danger to the African family structure and opposes thorough sex education programs. Saoyo cautions that should the agreement be approved, it might undo decades of advancements achieved in safeguarding youth well-being and entitlements throughout the region.
The suggested constitution, as she sees it, could restrict youth from obtaining reliable data regarding sexual and reproductive health, simultaneously reinforcing strict viewpoints that marginalize teenagers, females, and at-risk communities.
"If this kind of agreement comes into existence, we could reverse many years of advancement regarding teenage health, education, and personal rights throughout Africa," states Saoyo.