Meet our delegation of adolescents and young women to the #ISpeak4Myself conference organized by Femnet in Accra, Ghana. Vibrant and all energetic, full of positive enthusiasm for the high level intergenerational come together focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
Over the past decades, a lot of focus and scrutiny has been placed on adolescent and young people’s sexuality. This has come with increased pressure and expectations on how they are expected to behave, to what rights they have and to what society considers as meaningful contributions. As they continue to navigate this stage of their lives, they are continuously faced with challenges such as peer pressure, violence, abuse, discrimination, injustice, coercion, and more; these challenges continue to affect their lives and wellbeing, and their ability to meaningfully engage and participate in the growth of their environment and society.
The conference that brought together adolescents and young women from across the sub saharan region for a continuous exchange on the challenges and opportunities affecting adolescent girls and young women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights had contrasting similarities relating to socio-economic norms such as high cost to health care and low access to quality health services.
With call on governments to reinforce laws against gender based violence, discrimination and sexual abuse, adolescents and young people continued to plea for the proper and effective implementation of the Maputo Protocol as ratified by member states, and ensure effective and quality access to sexual and reproductive health care services. Leaving no one behind, the need for governments to commit to an intentional increase in gender response budgeting and financing in health, education and entrepreneurship of women and girls within the region, and furthermore include, protect and safeguard the dignity of all living with disabilities, and marginalized communities.
With the workshop providing most adolescents present with their first ever opportunity of participating in a policy development and advocacy exchange, meeting different stakeholders from the different regions of the continent, in collaboration with their peers and representative of different movements, grassroots communities and works of life, this provided them with a once in a lifetime opportunity to connect, support and make meaningful contributions towards addressing the issues and concerns facing their lives and communities. Bearing the voices of the millions of adolescents and young people from their respective constituencies, it was a workshop to remember, as adolescents took the baton to their governments through the various recommendations and tentative solutions arose from the three days convening in Ghana, Accra.
