By DORIS KATHIA
Today, worldwide, there are about 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24. In 2014, 61% of its 45 million people were under 25 (42% under 15).
Youths in Kenya face challenges while transitioning into adulthood. Adolescents are uncertain about the way their bodies change, about how to shape relationships and about their futures. This is particularly challenging for adolescents and young people, especially girls, living in poverty and/or with HIV.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic many families are struggling to put food on the table. In some cases, parents demand children to earn money yet they won’t even ask where that money comes from.
Early pregnancy can threaten the health and wellbeing of adolescent girls and young women. When COVID-19 hit, over a period of just three months in the first year 152,000 Kenyan teenage girls became pregnant.
In Kenya adolescents living with HIV are estimated to be 133,455. According to Kenya Population based HIV Impact Assessment (KENPHIA 2018) survey the prevalence of HIV in women is at 6.6% twice that in men at 3.1%. The gender disparity in the burden of HIV in Kenya is even greater than 3 times between the ages of 20-34 years.
Many communities in Kenya view sex as a taboo subject and the family’s reputation and status is paramount, parents are always in denial about their children being sexually active. The 2010 Violence against Children in Kenya report showed that 32% of young women had experienced sexual violence, almost half of which was perpetrated by an intimate partner.
Despite powerful social norms that disapprove of early and premarital sex, many young unmarried people are sexually active. Oftenly, children who engage in sex at a young age do not use condoms. Among the sexually active adolescents aged 15–19, only 27% use some form of contraception. Out of all pregnancies among girls and women aged 15–24, 32% are mistimed and 15% unwanted, resulting in many unsafe backstreet abortions.
It is estimated that 13,000 girls drop out of school every year due to pregnancy. Early sexual debut and unprotected sex are often the result of a combination of peer pressure, gender inequality and ignorance.
The lack of knowledge about sexual health and family planning pervades conservative culture in our various communities. The silence has led to one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Kenya at 18% according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.
Considering this demographic reality our governments, decision makers, educators, health providers and parents should ensure young people realize their rights, including ensuring that all young people receive high quality comprehensive sexuality education.
Just like everyone else, adolescents and young people have human rights, including sexual and reproductive rights. When young people are empowered about their sexuality, informed about their sexual and reproductive choices, the risk is reduced and the positive impact is felt across society.
Empowering young people equips them with information and education about their sexuality and is a way of supporting young people to realize their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) will enable young people to realize their rights, by challenging and changing social norms whilst allowing them to make informed choices about their health. Implementation of CSE is a necessity for Kenyan government, not a political choice.
Ignoring the education of young people, restricting their choices, limiting access to life-saving services and denying their happiness would be failing young people. It would be compromising not only their future, but also the future of generations to come.
Ms. Kathia is a youth advocate at the Network for Adolescents and Youth of Africa (NAYA) Kenya
