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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Federal Government has expressed commitment to partner with AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria, a Non Governmental Organization(NGO), and other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy against child marriages.
The Assistant Director, Child Development, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs Mariam Shu’aibu, stated this at an event organized by AHF Nigeria to commemorate the 2024 International Day of the African Child (IDAC) in Abuja.
Shu’aibu said the federal government through the Ministry of Women Affair were already carrying out campaigns against child marriages as well as ensuring they youth get proper information on HIV to enable them make informed decisions and prevent them from contacting HIV and sexuality.
She said “Cases of child marriage, HIV are issues that the ministry is advocating against and we are ready to collaborate with AHF to deliver your programmes in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) and other states.”
She said the partnership would involve advocating for the strengthening of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) to enhance health outcomes among your people and to also protect them from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and violence.
Earlier, the Director of Policy, Advocacy and Marketing, AHF Africa Bureau, Kemi Gbadamosi, said CSE will address the increasing new infection rates of HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies amongst youths.
“We are looking at fostering education and health through CSE and the reason is because as a HIV/AIDS organisation, we see that there are new infection rates amongst young people every week.
“For example we get 4,000 HIV new infection globally amongst young people aged 15 to 24 and Africa takes the biggest chunk of that.
“And part of the reason we see this spike in infection rates amongst young people is lack of access to the right information, sexual reproductive health services, information and tools like CSE.
“Research tells us that access to age appropriate CSE helps to reduce HIV infections, teenage pregnancies, delay when young people begin to have sex and reduce. Cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and promote gender equality.”
Gbadamosi said AHF engages parents and youths on the benefits of CSE, which contravene popular opinions that it promotes promiscuity.
“Contrary to popular opinions, alot of parents, leaders say CSE promote promiscuity but research tells us that when young people have access to age appropriate CSE, it stops them from being promiscuous, it protects them and builds their self esteem to be able to make better decisions and more informed choices.
“It also helps them to recognize when issues of violence and sexual harassment is about to happen so that they can protect themselves.
“We have always got a pushback from parents, community leaders because they believe that whenever you say sexuality education, you are talking about sex and that is why engagement such as this also requires parents in the discussion to know the benefits.
Gbadamosi also stated that there was need to tell them the data on HIV infection rates, young people getting pregnant and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) cases.”
“And if we do not address the information, skill and knowledge gap, then we cannot make any progress,” he said.
Speaking, AHF Nigeria Country Programme Director, Dr Echey Ijezie, said “it is important to discuss CSE because research has shown that CSEs improve health outcomes, empower youths and adolescents.
He said CSE can help the young people make informed choices and not contract HIV and other STIs, as well as reducing the risks of unwanted pregnancies.
The Assistant Director, Education Support Department, Federal Ministry of Information, Njideka Ogbuke expressed worry that considering there are lots of information on the Internet, they could access the wrong ones if not informed about right choices.
“But when you equip a young person with what is right, even when faced with wrong information, pornography and others, he or she will find it repulsive knowing that it affects their mindset and derails their paths.”
Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, at the FCT Education Board, Mrs Okhilua Maria, also reiterated their commitment towards promoting health outcome and reduce STI amongst youths.
She said the youths may access wrong information on social media, hence the need to educate them with the appropriate information.
“The first sets of people you need to talk to are the teachers, policy makers, the supervisory bodies if these things must get to the schools and make headway. Then, we begin to see how we can structure these information for understanding so that it is not destructive.”
Participants from government agencies, NGOs, youth groups, parents and schools were taken through sexual and reproductive health education, amongst others.
Photos of participants at the event.
