HIV/SRV: NACA 2030 Deadline And Challenges For Adolescent Girls

Posted on: Mon 30-11-2015

The Population Council has revealed that adolescent girls are the most vulnerable in the HIV/SRV scourge. With this in mind, the National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA) estimates that the virus will be finally kicked out of Nigeria come the year 2030. Kuni Tyessi in this report looks at factors responsible for the spread of the disease and the role of stakeholders in tackling the hydra-headed monster

The twenty- sixth of November every year has been kept aside to mark the the World AIDS Day and as a prelude to the event, a group known as Population Council, hosted a meeting/ talkshow which it titled”Meet-the-Experts” in order to discuss the scourge of the deadly virus known as the Human Immuno Virus(HIV), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), as well as other sexually related health problems in the world of women, female adolescents in particular.

From its findings, the group revealed that if all stakeholders can put hands on deck in relation to improving adolescent girls’ health, keep them safe in schools and make critical and useful information available to them, they will be on a path to good health and productive adulthood.

Also, in the Council’s bid to fight the challenge, many programs it has organised takes a complete female adolescent approach, seeing that this group is the most susceptible and vulnerable to the virus, which in turn exposes them to social isolation, economic insecurity, lack of access to services, sexual and gender-based violence, which are often experienced by the most marginalised, invariably, the adolescent girls in poor communities.

So far, it is an open secret that any woman denied of her rights to develop her potentials is at risk of the disease, as well as street children, young people with disabilities living in a society where they are not protected and parents that deny them of education simply because they are disabled, and people faced with extreme poverty.

One of the speakers, Prof Adesegun Fatusi of the College of Health Sciences at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, disclosed that in a bid towards successfully nipping the scourge in the bud, four areas of human endeavours must be critically looked at. He said they include:

Physical aspect which deals with the age of the adolescent, her size, especially as it relates to her reproductive system, and the knowledge she requires in equipping herself against been vulnerable.

The second is the biological factor which he explained is an extension of the reproductive system which includes the lining of the vagina which is more likeable to break because of the age of the adolescent which is usually between the ages of 12-18.

The third factor, Fatusi said, is the larger society. “How far has it has gone in educating the girls? How many people can work into pharmacies and ask for condoms? A large number of the girls do not go to school especially in the rural areas as this will increase knowledge, competence and understanding.”

Lastly, the social factor was brought to fore, as cultural beliefs seem to have taken the day, thereby relegating the girl-child to a life of denial. He said “She has less protection because her voice is less heard, her visions and dreams are not respected and so she stands more at risk.”

With the federal governments commitment towards eradicating the disease come 2030, the medical experts and other stakeholders at the event, raised pertinent questions which were also discussed and addressed and which will in furtherence help in combating the disease. They included questions such as : Do the programmes put in place by the federal ministry of health address the vulnerability of the girls? What are the policies in place at the moment, especially in terms of reproductive health. Do they include women education and sexually transmitted diseases as well as the dangers of female genital mutilation? Do the policies translate into programming? Are civil societies doing enough, as they are to serve as a strong voice for the vulnerable.

Dr Bolanle Oyeledun of the Centre for Integrated Health Programmes, Dr Chris Ugboko from the Federal Ministry of Health, Ms Irene Patrick- Ogbogu fo the Disability Rights Advocacy Centre as well as Mrs Uduak Daniel of NACA, emphasised on the need for the government to adopt a principle of gender design in response to the needs of female adolescents who are physically challenged as present day realities does not show that enough has been done in winning the battle by 2030.

“When the federal government includes gender design in response to the needs of the disabled, do they do it in a functional way?”

“What exists at the moment is a disability disaggregated data as the status and accurate number of the disabled in Nigeria is not accurate. Except this is done and everyone is captured, the policy remains inconclusive.

Recent statistics shows that 15% of the population is physically challenged and an average disabled person comes from a disadvantaged background not to talk of being a female in an environment where girls and boys are not regarded as equals.

So far, it has been established that when a girl in the developing world receives seven years of education, she marries four yeas later and has 2.2 fewer children, hence the need for the Ministry of Health and that of Women Affairs to come together and work towards the noble cause as the issue of sexually transmitted disesses and women health is multi-sectoral and should be dealt with from that angle with a technical support.

With this approach on ground, research has revealed that “babies born to mothers older than 19 are 60% less likely to die in their first year than babies born to mothers younger than 18.” Also, “An extra year of primary school education boosts girls’ future wages by 10-20%. An extra year of secondary school adds 15-25%.

Only 15 years separates the present dispensation and the 2030. It is hoped that if all necessary things are put in place, the disease will be a complete history in the story of the Nigerian health sector.

By: Kuni Tyessi

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