20 Aug PROBLEMS FACED BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN ACCESSING SRHR SERVICES

What is meant by SRHR ?

For those who don’t know what SRHR encompasses and means , lol don’t worry sis got you. This is an abbreviation which stands for Sexual Reproductive Human Rights ,it sates that individuals can make decisions about their sexual activity and reproduction free from discrimination, coercion and violence, and  have a right to achieve the highest attainable standard of sexual health.

In principle, tertiary education students are included in international SRHR-related declarations and domestic policies pertaining to the education and health sectors; in practice, there is often a lack of programmatic and policy attention at institutional level, as well as a marked knowledge gap over the status of student’s sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs. This is so because little is known about how and what role tertiary education institutes can/or should play in mediating student SRH vulnerability and needs. The government should try by all means that education institutes are offering such services because it is the duty of the government to make sure that Social, Cultural , Economic rights are protected .!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The main barriers students experience when attempting to access SRHR services in tertiary institutions is that, such services are primarily provided through university clinics , with challenges such as lack of privacy and confidentiality. Most female students even male students included can agree that going to the university clinic to get tested for HIV is scary because there’s lack of confidentiality.

Some institutions especially private universities owned by churches do not offer SRHR services for example condoms are not being distributed, family planning amongst other things. This is so because the church believes in no sex before marriage therefore distributing condoms and family planning pills might be misinterpreted. My worry is that most students end up having unprotected sex or end up aborting

~ ~ ~Access to SRH services allows individuals to choose whether, when and with whom to engage in sexual activity; to choose whether and when to have children; and to have access to the information and means to make those choices~ ~ ~ ~ INSTITUTIONS SHOULD PROTECT THIS RIGHT.

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Millicent Alma Ndlovu