Ipas highlights Asian adolescents’ unmet needs at regional meeting on reproductive health and rights

Almost one third of the more than 1 billion young people now entering their reproductive years live in Asia. They have special needs for reproductive health care information and services which demand attention from policymakers and program managers.

Photo courtesy of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Addressing the specific needs of Asian adolescents must be a priority in efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health in Asia, Ipas Executive Vice President Mary Luke told participants at a recent roundtable in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

More than a billion young people-the largest group ever-are now entering their reproductive years, and almost one in three of those young people live in Asia. In a presentation to population and health experts gathered in Kuala Lumpur to assess progress since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Luke said that adolescents have particular health needs that differ from those of adults. For youth in Asia, the usual challenges of adolescence are compounded by conservative attitudes toward sexuality, gender inequality, social isolation resulting from early marriage, poverty, the prevalence of sexual violence and the growing AIDS crisis in the region.

The ICPD conference marked the first time that the global community recognized reproductive health as a human right. Its Programme of Action-endorsed by 179 nations-stressed the importance of ensuring reproductive health for all throughout the life cycle.

At the five-year review of the ICPD, it was agreed that governments should strive to provide "appropriate, specific, user-friendly and accessible services to address effectively [adolescents'] reproductive and sexual health needs." Despite this commitment, adolescents in Asia still face discrimination in access to reproductive health-care services, including contraceptives and safe abortion services, and the health-care system commonly fails to address their needs as distinct from those of adults.

"Through commitments made at ICPD . . . most countries in Asia have acknowledged the critical importance of investing in adolescents and youth to ensure their positive sexual and reproductive health and rights," Luke said. "However, a considerable gap remains between policies which promote adolescents' health and rights, and programs and services that are actually accessible and responsive to the needs of adolescents."

Among the targeted actions Luke suggested to bridge this gap and address the unmet needs of adolescents in Asia are:

• Reducing young women’s vulnerability and powerlessness by challenging traditional gender roles, addressing the problem of early marriage, and supporting life skills development and income opportunities;
• Changing theculture of silence and denial that results in ignorance about sexuality by encouraging intergenerational communication and bringing reproductive health issues into the media and public debate;
• Translating a rights-based policy framework into programs that are youth-centered, respectful of young peoples’ rights and non-discriminatory on the basis of gender, age or sexual orientation;
• Developing adolescent health services that are confidential, convenient and low cost, that take into account critical issues such as sexual violence, and that incorporate options for managing unwanted pregnancies;

"By 2015," Luke concluded, "yet another generation of young people will enter their reproductive years. Our collective responsibility is to ensure that this generation of young people, and those that come after, will be able to realize their fundamental human right to sexual and reproductive health."

The Kuala Lumpur roundtable was part of "Countdown 2015: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All," a global effort to assess progress since ICPD. It began as an initiative of Family Care International (FCI), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and Population Action International (PAI) and now involves a wide range of nongovernmental organizations and donor partners. The Kuala Lumpur meeting, which focused on the themes of adolescent reproductive health, maternal mortality, unsafe abortion, family planning, gender violence and HIV/AIDS, was organized by International Planned Parenthood Federation's East and Southeast Asia and Oceania Region (IPPF ESEAOR), in partnership with other nongovernmental organizations.

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258