Talk

The Voice of Youth: Reproductive Health Services

Thursday June 23, 14:30, Alternative Stage GNO

Beatrice Nyamwenge Okech, Member of the SNF Nostos Youth Advisory Committee

In her brief speech, Beatrice Nyamwenge Okech described the difficulties young people face worldwide in accessing sexual and reproductive health services.

Kenyan-born Nyamwenge Okech is a member of the SNF Nostos Youth Advisory Committee and is the Advocacy & Campaign Manager at Transform Health, a coalition of non-governmental organizations focused on health advocacy.

“Picture this, there are approximately 1.2 billion young people aged 15-24, accounting for 16% of the global population. By 2030, this number is projected to grow to nearly 1.3 billion,” she said. “So, imagine just how diverse young people’s needs are; ranging from information and access to contraceptives, menstrual health, STI treatment, pregnancy testing and care, safe abortion, and counselling services.”

As she pointed out, young people belonging to marginalized population groups, the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as young people with disabilities or living on the edge of poverty, do not have equal access to reproductive health services.

She also added that in many countries around the world laws and policies limit young people's access to basic services, such as contraceptives, while gender inequality continues to perpetuate stigma and disinformation.

All this, she stressed, is added to the gap created by poverty and financial difficulties in accessing health services. Reproductive health services are extremely expensive for young people and, in some cases, not covered by the insurance companies.

“This was a truth I came to terms while at my gynecologist’s office seeking a long-term contraceptive method. Imagine my shock when I found out that many insurance schemes in my country do not cover a myriad of reproductive health services. Why is reproductive health excluded?” she wondered.

Finally, she explained that the COVID-19 pandemic, which monopolized the interest of governments worldwide, led to deficiencies in contraceptives and HIV treatments in developing countries and at the same time highlighted the inherently defective health care systems around the world, which do not protect young people.