Most girls and young women have poor knowledge regarding menstruation and some have no idea how to prevent a pregnancy, a new study shows.
It blames the lack of information for low uptake of contraceptives, increased rates of unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
The study shows only 12 per cent of girls aged 12–19 and 38 per cent of women ages 21–30, are knowledgeable about menstruation.
The report, titled Access to SRHR Information by Women and Girls in Kenya: An Assessment of Nairobi, Bungoma, Homabay, Kericho and Kilifi Counties, was released by two non-governmental groups in Nairobi.
They are the Center for Reproductive Rights and Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health.
Betty Odallo, advocacy adviser for Africa at CRR, faulted the government for providing women and girls with little information on sexual reproductive health rights.
“Whereas government facilities provided information on some reproductive health services such as delivery and post-natal care, it failed to provide information on abortion care, post-abortion care, assisted reproduction and contraceptives,” she said.
“Learning institutions offered limited or no comprehensive education on sexual and reproductive health despite school going girls preferring to receive such information from schools," according to the report.
The report shows a wide disconnect between the promise of the Constitution and the reality, in terms of women and girls’ access to and enjoyment of their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Article 43 of the Constitution guarantees the right to the highest attainable standard of health, including reproductive health.
“Article 35 provides for right to access information, meaning women and girls are entitled to seek and receive information concerning health, including sexual and reproductive health, to help them live whole and healthy lives,” the report says.
Jade Maina, Ticah executive director, said, “The government must live up to its commitment to Sustainable Development Goals and leave no one behind in designing sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes.”
The report also revealed that men, women and girls with multiple disabilities such as hearing, sight, and speech were neither substantively involved nor considered in such programme design.
It further shows that 36 per cent of women and girls under 25 years have the lowest understanding of reproductive rights. Of this group, 52 per cent are unmarried and three per cent semi-literate.
The majority of women and girls, irrespective of age, are uninformed of the constitutional provisions on sexual reproductive health rights, including abortion, the report says.
It shows girls aged 15 and below least knowledgeable on how to prevent unintended pregnancies.
Women aged 21–30 are most knowledgeable on how to prevent unintended pregnancies. At least 80 per cent of these women use contraception, compared with 20 per cent who reportedly abstained from sex.
Key recommendations the report makes towards government and stakeholders include the provision of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights information.
It also calls for the rollout of a curriculum on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health for in- and out-of-school adolescents.
Edited by A.N