The call for action - stepping up on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
The importance of reproductive health is well recognized, not only to improve women’s chances of surviving pregnancy and childbirth, but also to contribute to related issues such as gender equality, adolescent empowerment, improved maternal and child health, improved response to HIV, greater education outcomes and poverty reduction (6,11,12,13). The transition from the MDGs to the SDGs provides a strategic opportunity to scale-up cost-effective interventions within the framework of the SDGs.
Investing in adolescent health and development is key to improving survival and wellbeing, and critical for the success of the post-2015 development agenda (12,13). A number of approaches are recommended and propose actions relevant to the Pacific context and settings. Programmes for adolescents have proven most effective when they secure the full involvement of adolescents in identifying their reproductive and sexual health needs and in designing programmes that respond to those needs (6,12,13).
To accelerate progress towards achieving improved adolescent health in the framework of the SDGs, efforts to address reproductive rights and SRH must be guided by the principles of universal human rights, gender equity and social equality (7,9,12). The most powerful actions for adolescent health and wellbeing are intersectoral, multilevel, and multicomponent and engage and empower young people themselves to be part of change and accountability mechanisms (7,12).
Support for adolescents should be based on information that helps them attain a level of maturity required to make responsible decisions. Information and services should be made available to help them understand their sexuality and protect them from unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion, sexually transmitted infections and subsequent risk of infertility. This should be combined with the education of young men to respect women’s rights and self-determination and to share responsibility with women in matters of sexuality and reproduction.