ESA MPs call for multisectoral approach to promote SRHR services access for adolescents

MP Perseverance Zhou (Zimbabwe)

BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA

Eastern and Southern African Members of Parliament who participated at the recent Regional Engagement on Adolescents Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Access in Harare, have called on a multisectoral approach, so as to make adolescents and young people realise their full potential.

The MPs further called on full adherence by all relevant stakeholders to available laws and policies that seek to protect adolescents and young people.

They (MPs) are from the focus countries which are being supported by Hivos under the Regional SRHR Fund.

The theme of the three day meeting which was organised by the Youth Advocates, Hivos and Restless Development Zimbabwe, was “Collaborating for equitable SRHR in East and Southern Africa.”

Kwekwe Proportional Representative MP, Perseverance Zhou, who is also a member of the Health Committee and the Regional Representative of Hivos in Zimbabwe said there was need to look at new strategies to empower adolescents and young people.

She added that a multisectoral approach is the way to go so that adolescents and young people can realise their full potential without any barriers

“If you look at how we grew up, it’s now different from the children we have today.

“So we need to be there for our children, we have rampant cases of drug and substance abuse, we have early pregnancies.

“So as a country we need to see what can we do, so we want all stakeholders to participate in this so that we can keep our children safe.

“We need to start with the parents, the gatekeepers, then guardians, then traditional leaders, then teachers and other relevant stakeholders including government.

“I’m happy to say in Zimbabwe there are some initiatives which are being done so that children can be helped.

“In the case of those who fall pregnant whilst still in school, if it’s not rape related, they can keep the child whilst they are given the necessary support.

“Now the law also states that anyone below 18 years is a child but still there are issues of access to services, so we need to look really at this,” said MP Zhou.

She added that there is still a misconception when people talk of SRHR services, some think its access to sex.

“In terms of access, we have noted that it is still a challenge for parents or guardians to accept this issue but the kids are indulging.

“So as a Hivos Champion, I’m working to show that in as much as we would want our children to stay away from sex, unfortunately they are indulging.

“So we need to find a way to protect those kids so that they reach their full potential, we cannot punish them, so I’m going to advocate for access, even from an early age.

“We are not encouraging that they have unbecoming behaviour but the point is for them to know all the relevant information.”

MP Ephraim Abel Kayembe (Malawi)

Similar sentiments were also echoed by Malawian MP, Dr Ephraim Abel Kayembe, who also sits on the Population Management and Sexual and Reproductive Health Committee.

MP Kayembe said the issue on adolescents SRHR had now become very important in the African context, more especially in the SADC region because of the different provisions of the policies as well as the legal framework.

“When you look at the definition of an adolescent of our youth, based on the UN definition and the African definition and also the national definitions, they seem to be disparities.

“So because of those disparities, it becomes very difficult to provide services to the adolescents. And as a result of that, we are seeing a lot of cases of teen pregnancies in our communities.

“We are seeing a lot of cases of maternal deaths in our communities, which is a little bit challenging.

“And we are also seeing increasing cases of HIV prevalence rate among the adolescents, because we seem to be excluding some and only focusing on the others.

“So as a strategy to address this, when I go back home, I want to initiate a debate amongst parliamentarians that the time to review pieces of legislations that are contradicting each other is now.

“Number two, the time for government to ratify the regional protocols, commitments and treaties, more especially on the gender development and also the African Union protocol ending violence against girls and women.

“It is actually now we need to domesticate, once we have domesticated, then we need to ask ourselves, are we providing adequate resources towards implementation of those commitments?

“So this is a very key issue that as a parliamentarian I need to bring it back home,” said MP Kayembe.

MP Twaambo Mutinta (Zambia)

Twaambo Mutinta, a Zambian MP who is the Chairperson of the Zambian Parliamentary Caucus on SRHR and also Ambassador for the Hivos Project in Southern Africa, said the meeting was quite an insightful meeting because the region was still compounded with so many challenges that are facing the young people.

“The unintended pregnancies and also the school dropouts and HIV and AIDS are still big issues across the region.

“So having such a meeting like this one that rejuvenates the countries around what roles the young people have to play, what roles the religious group deserve to play, what roles parliamentarians like us have to play and ensuring that we adhere to the international and regional protocols at country level and also just to ensure that our energy levels are revitalized in working as a region to address these issues that are that are affecting our countries.

“So from this meeting generally, one of the key issues that came out was how do we collaborate as regions in influencing our governments to ensure that some of the agreements that they have signed are actualized and they are made into law.

“We are aware that across the Eastern and Southern African Region, most of the countries, a good number of them now, they have become signatories to the ESA commitments which is a good move.

“But at this point also is to already start reviewing how we much we are adhering to the commitments that were made under the ESA commitments.

“There are also a lot more other commitments our government has signed around SADC, around the African Union, that requires the young people themselves working with the support of SADC, ensuring that these commitments they adhere to and they are put into practice and the intentions of these commitments.

“We start seeing them in terms of the reduction in the numbers of young people that are affected by teenage pregnancies and the main vices that these projects are intending to deal with,” said MP Mutinta.

He added that the meeting also showed that a lot of MPs need to have a broader and a simplified vision of some of the commitments that governments are making, so that they can hold them (governments) accountable.

“And these commitments, these protocols, they should also be simplified and translated into day to day challenges that are facing young people.

“When we talk of limited funding around the commodities, we talk about gender and youth friendly services within our clinics, when we talk of human resource in the facilities, these issues, when they sit in the international protocols, they should be translated into day to day challenges that are facing the people.

“The call was around ensuring that members of parliament are given enough information so that at country level, they will be key in advocating for ensuring that these commitments are applied.

“These commitments can only be applied through increased budgets so that some of the intentions are translated into reality.”

MP Ayebare Margaret Rwebyambu (Uganda) 

Ayebare Margaret Rwebyambu, an MP from Uganda, who sits on the Parliamentary Health Committee and also on the Equal Opportunities Committee, said there was need for more research and evidence to tackle SRHR issues.

“I have realised that we have a very big gap when it comes to research and evidence. We need a lot of research about some of these issues if we are to advocate for them on the parliamentary level.

“There is no way you can begin telling people we need to work on this issue, we need to work on this issue when you do not have evidence.

“So I want to implore more of my people that we have been together in this meeting from different countries.

“I have said it before and I want to say it again, let’s go back and do research.

“That at every point someone asks you, you armed with evidence, that is one thing I’ve realised here.

“And another thing is about coordination and collaboration of different groups, agencies, you know, line ministries, if it is Ministry of Health, how does it work with Ministry of Gender, then Ministry of Education, then if there is any project in the Ministry of Agriculture that youths are taking up, how do we ensure that there is a multisectoral approach in doing all this?

“That is another area that I would also request all the countries that have been in this meeting to look at and see that there is no one entity that can work in isolation if we are tackling health issues,” said MP Rwebyambu.

She also revealed that there was need to ensure gender sensitivity if key take-aways from the meeting could be a success.

“One of the members asked me a question about how Uganda we are handling gender issues.

“And I was coming out to tell people how Uganda has embraced gender equality, looking at how even in leadership in Uganda we have a Vice President being a lady, Prime Minister a Lady, Speaker of Parliament a Lady and some women in other decision making positions like Permanent Secretaries and all that.

“Why do I say this? I want to say that some of the issues, especially to do with maternal health, they touch mostly the hearts of women.

“We need women in this movement, we need women in the struggle, I would implore other countries to copy from Uganda and give women spaces especially in the decision making spaces especially the decision making spaces,” she added.