The government is being urged to create policies that empower adolescent girls and young women in Kilifi County to voice their concerns without fear of societal backlash.
HER Voice Kenya organization, highlights the challenges faced by adolescent girls and young women in society, emphasizing the need for societal improvements and advocacy for their rights.
HER (Health, Empowerment, Rights) Voice Kenya is a women-led non-governmental organization that seeks to end Gender-Based Violence by influencing behavioural change, through instilling values to promote positive masculinity.
HER Voice Fund Ambassador for Kenya Brenda Bakobye asked the County Government of Kilifi to give the agenda of adolescents and young women a priority by support the current AGYW committee that is mandated to push the agenda.
AGYW representatives are urging the Ministries of Health and Education and the department of sanitation to endorse a program for adolescent girls and young women in Kilifi. Ms Bakobye highlighted Kenya’s Kilifi County’s rise in HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women, attributed to cultural and social factors like poverty, parenting styles, and peer pressure.
Mr. Omar Bandika from the Rising Winners Youth Empowerment Initiative said the Her Voice Fund’s interventions are informed by the alarming number of adolescent girls and young women who are contracting HIV almost every day.
“As we speak, only 13 countries from Sub Saharan Africa are contributing 50% of the global HIV infections and this is the reason why Her Voice Fund has brought in to help reverse the trend through giving the AGYW a voice,” he said.
He said Rising Winners had found out that girls were not participating in issues that affect them, mostly being discussed in terms of numbers in boardrooms without their inputs and that is why the organization decided to give them a voice to stand up for themselves.
Gloria Mnyazi from Chonyi Sub County said adolescent girls who seek reproductive health services usually face stigmatization after the service providers ridicule them for engaging in sexual activities instead of counselling them.
Her sentiments were echoed by Happy Mwambeo from Kilifi South Sub County who added that a lot of girls in her community had ensured a lot of sexual gender-based violence because of fear to speak out.
On her part, Mariam Mohamed blamed abject poverty for the atrocities adolescent girls and young women go through and they are unable to even get sanitary towels and have to rely on men, who take advantage of them. Hence, she said many AGYWs fear testing for HIV due to self-stigmatization and lack of information.
By Emmanuel Masha
