UNFPA for youth empowerment
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country representative Young Hong says youths need to be empowered to make informed decisions on their reproductive health.
Speaking on Thursday during the launch of the 2018 State of the World Population Report at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar), Hong said the youth need to take the lead in demanding reproductive health rights because their choices determine the future.
She said: “Promoting sexual reproductive health rights [SRHR] among the youth can help address the country’s fertility rate which stands at 4.4. We need to view this as a cornerstone to manage the country’s population growth.”
Titled The Power of Choice: Reproductive Rights and Demographic Transition, the report, which was launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners, states that giving people reproductive health rights enables them to make right choices.
“In the current situation where many countries are struggling with challenges such as poverty and hunger, the best solution is to make the right reproductive health choices and that can be possible if people are given reproductive rights,” states the report.
On his part, Minister of Health Atupele Muluzi said government and its partners are doing a lot to promote reproductive health rights, especially for the youth.
“There are a number of programmes that we are implementing together with our partners. We have noted that one of the major challenges in reproductive health rights is poverty and that is why we have economic empowerment programmes,” he said.
The minister noted that rapid population growth in the country has come about as a result of early marriages, teenage and unwanted pregnancies which result from harmful practices in some communities.
“We believe youth-friendly services in our health facilities will remain the main component to encouraging the youth to know their reproductive rights and have easy access to services of their choice at any time,” said Muluzi.
The report outlines strides that countries are making in trying to control population growth, which is considered high in most African countries.
Over 500 students from Luanar took part in the launch which was spiced up with a panel of discussion. n
