Girls and women in Kaduna South Local Government Area’s Down Quarters community have appealed for an enabling environment to obtain Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (SRHS).
This was one of the outcomes of the Gender Awareness Trust (GATcampaign )’s for lowering obstacles to accessing sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls in the community, which was funded by PathFinder.
The findings, which were presented to the District Head of Down Quarters, Alhaji Danjuma Musa, in Kaduna by the Executive Director, GAT, Dr. Lydia Umar, found that adolescent girls aged 12 to 19 have little understanding about SRHS and are unable to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
“Adolescent girls desired that their parents, particularly their moms, had been the first to talk to them about sex; for those who did, the adolescent believed that their mothers did not really communicate because they were too ambiguous.”
“Because their attempts to receive SRHS through Primary Health Care (PHC) Centres were met with rejection, they ended up purchasing services from chemists or pharmaceutical stores.”
“While 90% of women aged 20 to 34 are aware of the services and family planning options provided by PHCs, only 50% use them due to a lack of spousal support, a lack of funds, harassment from in-laws, culture prohibiting child spacing, preference for services provided by local midwives and traditional birth attendants, religious beliefs, and fear of side effects of family planning commodities.”
“90% of older women aged 35 and up have access to SRHS.” Despite the fact that 80 percent of the women have spousal support, they complained about the negative attitude of health professionals toward them at the PHC and urged that health staff be trained to relate cordially with patients and demonstrate unbiased attitudes regarding adolescent females.”
She encouraged the government to hire additional health professionals to provide services at the Down Quarters PHC, which currently has only two personnel and more volunteers, and to install solar panels to ensure regular electricity availability.
In response, Alhaji Danjuma Musa, the District Head, committed his continuous support for the project to guarantee that girls and women have access to sexual and reproductive health care.
“The community is really susceptible and has to be sensitized on many topics,” he said, “because there are concerns that have not been brought to the attention of community members that will be of enormous benefit.”
He emphasized the importance of sensitization, saying, “In those days, pregnant women were lectured on what they were supposed to do and consume while pregnant, during labor, and even after birth.”
He bemoaned the attitude of certain health staff, which he blamed for the lack of access to SRHS.
