By Joseph Edegbo:
Traditional and religious leaders as well as faith based organizations in Nigeria have been urged to tackle the challenges of sexual reproductive health by preaching abstinence among youths.
This is to avoid the consequences, such as stigmatization, child abandonment, unsafe abortion and deaths especially among the adolescents.
Participants including traditional and religious leaders as well as an health Advocacy group, FHANI made the call in a Communique at the end of a one day meeting on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights held in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria.
The meeting, organized by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, Northwest Zone, stressed the need for Stakeholders to counsel and highlight the consequences in early sex relationship to the youths.
Married adolescents, the participants resolved, should be referred to Family Planning providers, while recognizing that some of them are exposed to sex early and need sensitization on FP.
They observed that the phrase “Sexual Reproductive Health” is harsh taken into cognizant, the community in which they operate and that religious leaders are not expected to preach the word “Sex” because of the connotation.
Against this back drop and because of the culture, the participants resolved that Sexual Reproductive Health should therefore be reworded as “Adolescent Health Issues”, (AHI) due to the misconception the word Sex Creates.
They noted that social media contributes a lot to promiscuity in the society and as such, parents should counsel and control their wards on the use of social media.
The participants were also of the view that the Stockout of FP Commodities in Kaduna State contributed to the drop in Contraceptives Prevalent Rate (CPR) and increase in unmet needs for FP.
They therefore called on religious and traditional leaders as well as faith based organizations and CSOs to come together to make collective efforts to address the stockout syndrome of Family Planning Commodities in Kaduna State.
The participants commended the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria PPFN, for organizing the meeting which they described as timely and called for more of such gathering in their collective resolve for a healthy society.
