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Talking about Barriers
Negombo, Sri Lanka – “Knowledge of reproductive health is a necessity,” said Nimal Seripala de Silva, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health during the official opening of the EU/UNFPA RHIYA Youth Summit. “Every youth has a right to gather that knowledge. That knowledge should not be suppressed.”
Youth’s right to information is well established by international agreements as well.
Yet young people everywhere face barriers when they try to learn about sexuality and reproductive health or seek the services they need to safeguard their health.
These barriers were reflected in the opening ceremony of the Youth Summit. In a sly reversal of the problems young people often face, the Minister of Health was halted as he tried to enter the main hall by young Sri Lankans in traditional costumes with crossed spears. “Stop, you can’t enter,” said the young men. It was not until the Minister explained that he was there to support the Youth Summit that they allowed him through.
Although the barriers young people encounter vary from place to place, shyness, often coupled with cultural or religious taboos, emerged as a major difficulty. “Don’t let shyness harm your health,” says the slogan on a T-shirt worn by the Cambodian delegation. Peer-to-peer communication is a key RHIYA strategy that attempts to overcome the reluctance to discuss reproductive health issues with parents or other adults.
Even for the European youth, shyness in speaking about sexuality with parents is problematic, said Tobias Rashke of Germany. “Fortunately in Europe we can find resources outside of our parents. We have access to quite a bit of technical information. But it’s harder to speak openly about the emotional aspects of relationships, about love and responsibility,” he added.
In Sri Lanka, a country where respect for tradition remains strong, unmarried women may be reluctant to seek out contraceptive options. “Ladies face social stigma,” said Dinusha Mahagamage, 22. The result is too many teenage pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
In Pakistan, young people identified gender inequality as the major constraint that keeps women from exercising many of their rights. “A woman has to follow the man. She has no liberty,” said Mir G. Murtaza Noonari, 22. Several young people from the Pakistani delegation said that changing the gender inequality in their society would be a slow process.
“But I am proof that it can happen,” said Shehzadi Aman Amanullah, 21, beaming. She is the first woman from her small community to have left the country.
And when young people try to affect change, they often meet with resistance. Pooja Hamal, 23, from Nepal, talks to women in her community about reproductive health and gender equality. “They say I am a silly, shameful girl,” she said. “But I tell them I am not silly. We have a right to know about these things.”
For more information contact:
Thierry Lucas: tlucas@unfpa.org
Galanne Deressa: deressa@unfpa.org
This section was posted on 8 November 2004. |
