Honourable
Chairman,
The leader of
the Legislative and Hon. members of Akoko Edo Legislative Council,
Royal Fathers
here present,
All other
protocols duely observed.
My
name is Priscilla Usiobaifo. I work with the BraveHeart Initiative for Youth
& Women. I welcome you all to the commemoration of Nigeria’s 52nd
Independence.
I
initiated the BraveHeart Initiative (BHI) at age 18 when I came to a cross road
on the numerous challenges faced by young people. I needed a change and I was
tired of waiting for the empty promises made by the older generation. Over the
years BraveHeart Initiative have executed projects on various issues ranging
from sensitization on Sexually Transmitted Infections such as Hiv/Aids, Gender
based violence, Sexual abuse, maternal mortality, International, regional and
national agreements, Skills trainings for economic empowerment, capacity
building workshops amongst others.
In October 2009, BHI registered with the
Corporate Affairs Commission as a youth led, youth focused community based NGO
empowering and developing young people between the ages of 10 and 25 years
through information and skills training to make informed choices, grow into
self actualized adults capable of contributing towards a better society. Overall
Goal of BraveHeart Initiative: To improve knowledge and understanding of sexual
and reproductive rights among young people in Akoko Edo as a means of achieving
gender equality
Objectives:
1.
To
improve knowledge and understanding of sexual and reproductive rights among
young people in Akoko Edo as a means of reducing teenage pregnancies by 20% in
5 years
2.
To
promote community awareness on the rights of young people in order to reduce
gender inequality in Akoko Edo.
3.
To
facilitate the recovery of abused children, young persons and women from gender
based violence.
4.
To
partner with likeminded institutions and stakeholders to build the capacity of
BHI.
5.
To
empower young persons with skills and information to become active participants
in development.
6.
To
promote the practice of feminist principles among young women in Akoko Edo
Reproductive
Health has been defined as: “a state of complete physical, mental and social
well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity in all matters
relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes”. Sexuality
is defined as social expressions of one’s social and biological being through
mannerism, mode of dressing, interactions patterns and physical intercourse.
Adolescent
sexual and reproductive health issues such as unwanted pregnancies, unsafe
abortions and sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS are important
concern for youth arising from many factors including inadequate sexual health
information, education and poor access to services. Many adolescents are
sexually active but are often “extremely uninformed about their reproductive
systems. This ignorance, more often than not, lead them to long term damage of
their sexual and reproductive health or even death” (Madunagu, 1998:10)
Nigeria
is one of the most youthful countries in Africa. According to recent
statistics, Adolescent population makes up 22% of the general population in
Nigeria. Approximately 35, 326, 000.
Nigeria’s
population is estimated at 158, 423, 000. With about 42% of the population
lacking improved drinking water resources, 68% of population without access to
improved sanitation facilities and about 1, 700,000 of women (aged 15+) living
with HIV.
We
are at BraveHeart Initiative take cognizant that harmful traditional practices
continue to rob young people of their rights to sexual and reproductive health,
with girls and young women especially subject to such norms that expose them to
sexual violence, female genital mutilation and child marriages; we also
concerned that while our country has adopted several laws and policies to
protect young people and provide them with services, such laws and policies are
often contradictory, have loop holes and are not domesticated and implemented
leading to discrimination and limited access to justice for young people.
Today,
as we mark our Independence, I call on government and other related agencies to
deliberately allocate funds for sexual and reproductive health programmes in
line with regional and global commitments including the Abuja Declaration, the
Maputo Programme of Action which calls for a minimum allocation of 15% of the
national budget to health. Also to ensure evidence-based comprehensive
sexuality education for in-and out of school young people through schools,
communities, religious and cultural institutions.
I
call on parents, communities, religious and traditional leaders to support
young people to access and take up sexual and reproductive health information
and services, commodities including HIV testing and counseling, contraceptives,
Anti Retroviral Therapy and maternal health care. Prioritize the reform and
removal of cultural practices and norms that threaten the sexual and
reproductive health and rights of young people including Child Rape,
gender-based violence and other forms of sexual exploitation.
Thank
you for your attention,
Priscilla
Ikos Usiobaifo
Program
Coordinator,
BraveHeart
Initiative
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