Mixed feelings on access to SRH services for adolescent girls.

Women’s Institute for Leadership Development conducted a legal clinic on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights which was attended by 45 young women and representatives from the Bulawayo Junior Council.

Shanise Sibanda from Tanaka Law Chambers, who was facilitating the meeting highlighted that it is important for young women to know their rights which are enshrined in the Constitution.

“SRHR are fundamental human rights entrenched in the Constitution and other international legal instruments to which Zimbabwe is a signatory to. The Constitution in Section 56 entrenches the right to equality and non-discrimination regardless of nationality, race, colour, tribe, place of birth, ethnic or social origin, language, class, religion, political affiliation, opinion, custom, culture, sex, gender, marital status, age, pregnancy, disability or economic status. This law entails that even in trying to access SRHR services, there should not be discrimination on the basis of age,” said Sibanda.

Sibanda went on to highlight the distinction between age of consent and age of majority in order to aid in a better understanding of SRHR.

“Age of consent means the age at which a person is legally competent to consent to sexual activities and is in a mental state to do so. As enshrined in the Constitution, the age of consent is 16. The age of majority is the threshold of adulthood and, as declared by law, is 18 years. At this age, one is considered not to be a minor,” said Sibanda.

Participants in the meeting had mixed feelings on access to SRHR noting that young girls should not be too liberated to get access to sexual reproductive health, with a few young people commending the legal framework promoting SRHR. Speaking at the meeting, the Junior Mayor of Bulawayo who is a representative of the Bulawayo Junior Council, alluded to the fact that the legal framework will have the final say on SRHR.

“It is important to note that the law has set the age of consent at 16, which means that young people have the right to access SRHR services, and when they go to seek these services, they should be treated like adults because the law also considers them to be adults, and they should not be made to feel uncomfortable or overly questioned,” he said.

This sparked a debate about the divergence between Eurocentric and African democracy, with many arguing that discussions should be held to educate young women about the consequences of engaging in sexual activities.

“There are things we need to look at from an African point of view, not from an imposed Eurocentric point of view. It is very hard for one to convince African parents to encourage their 16-year-old to go and get access to family planning pills,” said Tariro Gurure.

Some shared the importance of having talks with young girls so as to ensure that this doesn’t create a leeway for them to go around having sexual intercourse.

“It is critical for us as parents to ensure that we talk to our children about the consequences of engaging in sexual activities at a young age, as well as the fact that there are sexually transmitted infections, before we get excited about giving them birth control pills. In this way, young girls will still be aware of their rights to SRH services while also being grounded in principles and well-versed in the consequences of unprotected sex.”