Government urged to strike a balance between Covid-19 priorities and youths’ reproductive health services.

Government urged to strike a balance between Covid-19 priorities and youths’ reproductive health services.

By Letwin Mubonesi

Swedish ambassador to Zimbabwe, Berthollet Kaboru pleaded with the government to balance the equation between its COVID-19 priorities and enhancing young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health services.

He made the plea while addressing university students at the third edition of the national universities quiz challenge in Harare.

The event was hosted by the Students and Youth Working on Sexual and Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) and it ran under the theme ‘Securing Sexual Reproductive Health of Students and Young People in the COVID-19 era.’

“The theme calls for decision-makers and all stakeholders to ensure that young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health services remains on the agenda even in an ongoing pandemic. Sexual and reproductive health rights remain an important issue globally.

“Sweden has a long history of prioritising sexual and reproductive health as part of its health, gender, human rights as well as sustainable development work and places great importance on sexual and reproductive health rights working with partners in countries across the world,” said Kaboru.

Kaboru said all SRHS interventions should include young people in their diversity.

However, SAYWHAT deputy executive director, Vimbai Mlambo said there was an increase in teenage pregnancies and miscarriages that went unreported this year during the COVID-19 lockdown period and it reveals the disproportion between young people’s access to reproductive health services and observing COVID-19 lockdown regulations.

She said, “Among other objectives, the third edition of the national universities quiz challenge aims to inspire the production of new sexual and reproductive health curricula that informs a comprehensive sexuality education.

“SAYWHAT has observed with concern the rise in mental health and suicide cases alongside drug abuse. Consequentially, we have lost students to this twin scourge. I take this opportunity to urge young people and the students to desist from taking drugs.”
Furthermore, the quiz competition had made it possible for students to promote awareness on sexual reproductive health issues.