Proponents have called for improving the family life and HIV education (FLHE) taught in junior secondary school, insisting young people need information and tools to protect themselves from both HIV and unintended pregnancy.
FLHE being taught in some states is burdened with censorship which restricts the breadth or depth of topics teachers can share with students, according to Jennifer Amadi, founder of the Knit Together Initiative in Rivers working to ensure concerns of young people about HIV and their sexual and reproductive health and rights are not sidelined.
“In most states, including Rivers where I work, when Family Life and HIV Education are taught at all in schools, the lessons tend to focus only on abstinence,” Amado wrote to mark World AIDS Day.
“Young people are told of the dangers of HIV and early pregnancy, but given no information on modern contraception, HIV prevention or where to go to seek preventative health services.
“The reasoning behind this censorship is the fear that talking to young people about sexual and reproductive health will encourage young people to become sexually active at a younger age.”
Research suggests comprehensive family life education increases the age at first sexual debut for young people.
In the absence of knowledge, the reality is growing rates of adolescent pregnancy and early marriage.
At least three in four women in the North West begin childbearing during adolescence; in the South West, it is one in three women.
“Family Life and HIV Education isn’t driving promiscuity. Lack of family life education is a driving force of these unacceptable high rates,” said Amadi.
Recent analysis from the Guttmacher Institute estimates that if all adolescent women in sub-Saharan Africa who need modern contraceptives were able to use them, unintended pregnancies would reduce by 2.6 million a year, there’d be 1.2 million fewer unsafe abortions, 338,000 fewer miscarriages and stillbirths and 4,100 fewer maternal deaths.
Amadi said young people need support to attain their aspirations. “That means helping them stay healthy and stay in school by helping them stay HIV negative and postpone parenthood until a time when they are ready.”
Amadi was among youth leaders who represented Nigeria at the International Conference on Family Planning early November in Kigali as advocates pushed for increased recognition of sexual and reproductive health and rights for young people.
“These issues aren’t separated in a young person’s life. They should be discussed together as part of family life education – and we need youth-friendly clinics where young people can access both pregnancy and HIV prevention services under one roof.
“So far in Nigeria, only Lagos state has updated its curriculum. We’re pushing for change to see similar improvements in Rivers and across the country – to make sure young people know how to protect themselves, know where to go to seek health care and to make sure health centres offer youth-friendly services,” said Amadi.
