Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Online Correspondent
CIVIL society has called for urgent reforms to eliminate policies that prevent adolescents from accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, as young people in East and Southern Africa continue to suffer high rates of teenage pregnancies, HIV
infections and child marriages.
Speaking at a media sensitisation meeting: Step Up 4 Adolescents SRH Access – “Collaborating for equitable SRH in East and Southern Africa” held in Harare, Youth Advocates executive director, Mr Tatenda Songore, said cultural, religious and legal barriers
were leaving adolescents unprepared to make informed decisions.
“We know adolescents are facing a big challenge—high teenage pregnancies, high HIV infections, and unsafe abortions. In some countries, indicators show between 19 percent and 81 percent of child marriages,” he said.
“Yet restrictive laws and traditional beliefs prevent them from accessing services. Sex has huge consequences for those who are not informed or resourced to prevent pregnancy or negotiate protection.”
Mr Songore said the Step Up to Access campaign, currently being implemented in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia with support from Hivos, was pushing for youth-friendly services that are affordable, accessible and legally protected.
Population Services advocacy and gender advisor, Mrs Nyasha Mudavanhu, underscored the dangers of current legal contradictions.
She said while Zimbabwe’s Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to health care, other laws, such as the Public Health Act, limit minors’ ability to consent.
“In 2022, Zimbabwe recorded 1 532 maternal deaths, and 25 percent of these were among young women below the age of 24,” she said.
“We also saw antenatal bookings among girls as young as 10 to 14. Our laws assume every child has a parent or guardian, yet many minors are heading households.
“They can receive cash transfers to support families, but cannot give consent to access health services.”
Mrs Mudavanhu said the forthcoming Medical Services Amendment Bill, which maintains the requirement for “legal capacity” to access care, risks further excluding adolescents.
“If we are serious about protecting young people’s health and rights, we must harmonise our policies with the Constitution,” she said.
Adolescents in Southern and East Africa face persistent barriers to comprehensive SRH services, with high rates of unintended pregnancies, HIV infections and child marriages undermining their health, education and rights.
The Step Up 4 Adolescents campaign seeks to strengthen advocacy for SRH services in five countries—Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe—by shaping public opinion, building accountability and influencing policy change.
Organisers said engaging the media was central to the campaign as journalists were critical in amplifying adolescent voices, challenging harmful norms and holding policymakers accountable.
