The adolescent reproductive health status in the country is poor with teenage pregnancy estimated at 30% among girls 15-19 years’ old. About 56.9 percent of new HIV infections occur among persons aged 10-34 years. The median age of sexual debut is 14 years, increasing the vulnerability of young girls to teenage pregnancy and associated complications including deaths and disabilities from Obstetric Fistula, sexually transmitted infections, HIV AIDS, and social stigma and isolation.
Adolescents and young people have poor access to integrated sexual and reproductive health services and information, including comprehensive sexuality education for both in and out-of-school adolescents and youth. Inadequate legal and policy frameworks and deeply rooted socio-cultural beliefs and practices are among the key factors contributing to the poor access.
UNFPA Response:
The programme in South Sudan:
- Enhance knowledge and skills of health care and other service providers to ensure non-discriminatory provision of quality adolescent and youth friendly (AYFSRH) information and services.
- Scale up availability of adolescent and youth friendly SRH information and services through youth corners, youth centers, universities, and linkage between school health clubs and health facilities.
- strengthen access to gender-sensitive, age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education for in-school and out-of-school young people.
- support innovative initiatives to integrate adolescent and youth friendly sexual and reproductive health, information and services in youth led initiatives including youth and girls’ sports initiatives and through use of digital technology.
- Integrate parents, mentor mothers, and cultural leaders in provision of youth-friendly services to ensure a multi-sectoral approach at community level in provision of AYFSRH services.
- Scale up initiatives to promote menstrual health hygiene management.
