An international knowledge synthesis meeting under the UK Department for International Development's Safe Passages to Adulthood Programme brought together programme leaders and researchers from 11 resource-poor countries to discuss stigma, discrimination and human rights in relation to young people’s sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Participants shared important lessons for improving the effectiveness of SRH programmes for young people.

Young people may suffer stigma and discrimination if they are sexually active before marriage or engage in homosexual or transgender sexualities. They may also be stigmatised for showing signs of unprotected sexual activity, such as unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted infection or HIV. As a result, many young people:

• hide their sexual activity from adults
• cannot easily access resources they need to make and implement informed decisions about their sexuality and sexual health
• have limited access to good quality SRH services or face a lack of confidentiality and privacy, verbal abuse or withholding of care

Participants at the meeting aimed to:

• share experiences and discuss key principles of project design and implementation
• explore the inter-relationships between stigma, discrimination and human rights violations related to young people's SRH, and examine their origins and relations to other inequalities and power relations
• identify effective ways to reduce and eliminate intolerance
• examine the relevance and power of a human rights framework for programme planning and implementation.

Major themes included working positively with sexual diversity, promoting young people’s sexual and reproductive rights, working in the health and education sectors, ensuring young people’s participation in programmes, working with the media and challenging stigma and discrimination in relation to HIV.

Shared learning at the meeting offers lessons for addressing stigma and discrimination and developing effective SRH programmes for young people through:

• changing social norms relating to HIV/AIDS, sexual diversity and gender
• involving young people in programme design, implementation and evaluation
• encouraging coalitions of marginalised groups and allowing young people to share their experiences and discuss sensitive issues
• challenging the language of stigma and discrimination by promoting positive rights-based language around sexuality and HIV/AIDS
• promoting rights-based perspectives in relation to HIV/AIDS, sexual diversity and access to information and health services
• tackling sensitive subjects relating to young people’s SRH and sexuality through mass media and innovative methods such as theatre, film, painting and writing
• working with key adults in young people’s lives, particularly parents, teachers and health workers, to enable them to respond to young people’s needs and rights

It is essential to recognise the diversity of young people and the intersection of different kinds of stigma, discrimination and human rights violations, which afflict their lives. Sensitive and participatory research is needed to understand young people’s experiences, identify their health needs, and begin to promote SRH more positively.

Source(s):
‘Promoting young people’s sexual and reproductive health. Stigma, discrimination and human rights’, Safe Passages to Adulthood, by K. Wood and P. Aggleton, 2004 Full document.

Funded by: UK Department for International Development; John Snow International; Family Health International; Population Council

id21 Research Highlight: 11 March 2005

Further Information:
Nicole Stone
Safe Passages to Adulthood
School of Social Sciences
University of Southampton
Highfield, Southampton
SO17 1BJ
UK

Contact the contributor: N.C.Stone@soton.ac.uk

Safe Passages to Adulthood programme, University of Southampton, UK

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