Plan, an International Child-Rights Organisation

Plan, an International Child-Rights Organisation, yesterday launched a report on Adolescent Sexual Health in West Africa to mark World AIDS Day.

In the report, plan notes that despite massive donor investments to combat HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases, adolescents and their sexual health needs and rights in West Africa are often neglected in social development initiatives and national health policies and programmes. This, according to the report, contributes to increasing other sexual health risks and making them much more vulnerable to HIV.

The report further notes that even though adolescents (aged 10-19) are the fastest growing population in West Africa, services and access to information by these young people are severely restricted in West Africa, not only by current practices in public health education and health services, but also by the common perception that they are “too young to have sex”. The objectives of the regional launch of the publication are, therefore, to place adolescents, especially their sexual health and rights, into the centre of programming and policy decisions, contribute to improving the understanding of adolescents and their sexual health and rights and to provide media awareness and coverage of adolescent sexual health and rights in West Africa. In an address read on his behalf to launch the Report entitled: “Adolescent Sexual Health in West Africa-Rights, Realities and Responses”, the Minister for Health, Dr. Benjamin Kumbuor said the publication is a call on HIV policy makers and donors to pay greater attention to the needs and rights of adolescents in their work and make more funding available to improve their sexual health. Dr. Kumbuor said the publication is a commendable initiative, in that it draws attention to the rights and needs of a demographic group that is often neglected in social development efforts. Source: ISD (G.D. Zaney)