Deal with sexual and reproductive health problems—Wolrec

The Women’ Legal Resource Centre (Wolrec) has said some challenges on sexual and reproductive health rights need to be addressed through advocacy policy.

Wolrec project officer Gift Mauluka said this in Zomba on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting on sexual and reproductive health rights.

He said some communities are not sensitised to sexual and reproductive health rights; hence, the need to involve service providers as well as non-State actors.

“At community level, problems such as early pregnancies and lack of access to essential sexual and reproductive health services result in maternal and neonatal complications,” said Mauluka.

He added that health rights demand policy advocacy, especially in primary health care since communities are handicapped on their rights and obligations.

Bwalo Initiative director Rogers Kaunda said there is need to formulate an advocacy policy as one way of addressing the challenges.

Participants to the meeting came from the Youth Net and Counselling (Yoneco), the Malawi Carer, the National Initiative for Civic Education, health personnel and Police Victim Support Unit.