Online Reporter
Moses Magadza
THE second edition of the Regional Engagement Meeting on Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Access that seeks to accelerate access to (SRHR) services across East and Southern Africa began in Harare on Tuesday with calls for
bold regional action.
Held under the theme “Step Up 4 Adolescents SRHR Access: Collaborating for Equitable SRHR in East and Southern Africa”, the two-day gathering has drawn policymakers, youth advocates, parliamentarians, health experts and civil society organisations from
more than 12 countries.
Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) chief executive officer Mr Farai Machinga, who was guest of honour, called for urgent, coordinated regional action to remove the legal, cultural and systemic barriers that continue to deny adolescents their
right to SRHR services across East and Southern Africa.
He said the meeting was a “timely and strategic dialogue that unites government leaders, policymakers, development partners and, most importantly, young people themselves, who are the heartbeat of our region’s future”.
The gathering brought together parliamentarians, an official from the SADC Parliamentary Forum health officials, youth networks and civil society representatives from across the region.
Every young person, including those with disabilities, Mr Machinga said, deserves access to quality, youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health information and services “without fear, stigma or restriction”.
He emphasised that such access “is not a luxury but a necessity, a right and a cornerstone of sustainable development”.
Despite progress made in many countries, he warned that “age of consent laws, parental consent requirements and persistent stigma within health facilities continue to silence young voices and limit their autonomy”.
The consequences, he said, include “rising STIs including HIV infections, high rates of teenage pregnancies, preventable maternal deaths, unsafe abortions, child marriages and cycles of poverty that hold back not just individuals but entire communities”.
While applauding national commitments to adolescent health, Mr Machinga cautioned that “implementation often lags behind”.
He lamented that “policies may exist on paper, but too many young people still find themselves excluded from the very services designed to protect their well-being”.
He also said the regional platform provided by the Step Up 4 Adolescents SRHR Access Campaign — a joint initiative of Youth Advocates, Restless Development, and the Centre for the Study of Adolescence, with support from Sweden through the Hivos Regional
SRHR Fund — offered a chance to transform these commitments into tangible regional action.
Mr Machinga outlined key priorities for the region, which include prioritising adolescent SRHR in national budgets and frameworks, strengthening data systems to track progress and inform policies, investing in capacity building for health workers and educators,
and ensuring meaningful youth engagement in programme design and evaluation.
Speaking at the same occasion, Hivos Southern Africa regional director Mr Joy Mabenge also called for a coordinated regional approach to remove systemic barriers that continue to deny adolescents and young people their SRHR.
“We gather here in the spirit of a shared mission: to dismantle the barriers that prevent adolescents and young people in East and Southern Africa from claiming their fundamental sexual and reproductive health and rights,” he said.
“The consequences — rising HIV infection rates, adolescent pregnancies, and disrupted education — are not just statistics. They are urgent calls to action.”
Mr Mabenge highlighted that age of consent laws, parental consent requirements and pervasive stigma continue to restrict access to essential SRHR services for adolescents.
These challenges, he noted, undermine both the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the broader goal of Universal Health Coverage.
