Africa: Teach Men and Boys On Sexual Rights, Health

Windhoek — Poor and vulnerable women are often disenfranchised from their rights across the African continent.

This was the view of one of the rapporteurs at the Fifth Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights, Ellen Crabtree.

Crabtree, who is a programme manager for external relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, gave examples of violated rights in Kenya, such as women being detained in hospitals following delivery, if they cannot afford to pay the bill.

Crabtree, together with several other rapporteurs took note of various discussions during the course of three days last week to enable her to conclude her findings.

She felt maternal health services must include top services for those unable to carry an unplanned pregnancy, adding that in countries where abortion is legal, maternal mortality is also lower.

"Family planning is a right of all women and must include HIV-positive women, who have the same rights to fertility as anyone else and must not be discriminated against due to their sero-status," she noted. Sero- is the medical prefix for blood (from serum), and as such, your sero-status technically describes whether your blood tests positive for a disease, toxin, or other material of interest. Crabtree emphasised the need to include men and boys in sexual rights and health (SRH) education efforts, and not only reproduction and procreation.

"Everyone gains by involving men, because dominant masculine norms drive gender inequality. Men and boys have their own SRH needs. If boys are educated and supported, it helps to mitigate macho norms," Crabtree offered.

According to her, cultural practices disadvantage or damage women. "Laws alone won't stop cultural practices. Political, religious and community leaders must be engaged," she urged, adding that culture is something used to justify wrongdoing.

One such cultural practice is child marriage that the rapporteurs heard about during the week. She said it is occurring on an enormous scale and warned that child marriages endanger the health of girls, as well as the health of their children.

In addition, better-informed youth who understand their options and the consequences of being sexually active at a young age are more likely to choose abstinence.

She said teachers are ill equipped to teach sex education and are uncomfortable talking about sex with young people.

"They need training and support, particularly if they have unprocessed issues in their own past regarding their own sexual debut," advised Crabtree.