Bih
Afanwi got pregnant against her wish at the age of 16. She almost died because
her body was underdeveloped and traumatized to support the growth of a foetus.
“I saw the world and walls closing on me even as my strength faded out” she
says “I admit I was weak in negotiating condom use with him [the boyfriend] but
what if I knew they were other contraception choices – better ones I could use
without negotiating with him?”.
Bih
is only one among the 141 out of every 1000 girls in Cameroon who got pregnant
between the age of 15 and 19. She was
lucky to survive because 1 in every 31 pregnant girls die and maternal death is
at its worst since 1990 (490 deaths per 100000 live births). [Countdown 2015
Report Card]
Regrettably, there are laws in Cameroon that
prohibits family planning education in secondary schools. Same laws prohibit
access to modern contraception without parental consent for girls below the age
of 18.
The UNESCO International
Technical Guidelines on Sexuality Education states that effective sexuality
education can provide people with 'age appropriate, culturally relevant and
scientifically correct information', and includes 'structured opportunities for
young people to explore their attitudes and values, and to practice the skills
they need to be able to make informed decisions about their sexual lives.
International
Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) confirms that looking at the evolving capacities
of young people rather than their age when striking the balance between
protection and autonomy gives opportunity for more young people to learn and
make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive lives.
If
Bih Afanwi and the 63% of girls and women with unsatisfied family planning
needs in Cameron could access modern contraception education in class around
their 16th birthday, the age they voluntarily started having sex,
they would have had the capacity to postpone their first pregnancy and in
effect reducing maternal deaths. We cannot hope to achieve universal access to
reproductive health by 2015 and even beyond if the most at risk population
(girls aged 15-19) cannot chose if and when they should get pregnant.
Now
that our legislative system has changed with the recent creation of a senate,
young people are also hoping for a change in the legislation on their sexual
and reproductive health and rights. It is time for our policy makers to
consider girls by their evolving capacities in the legislation on sexual and
reproductive rights. Sexually active girls want the rights to study modern
contraception in schools and at home. They also want to make informed choices
about their contraception methods. Granting them these rights now as
compliments to the moral education from our cultures and religions will reduce
adolescent birth rate and maternal mortality in Cameroon.
