From 25th to 27th November 2020, African Youth and Adolescents Network on Population and Development (AfriYAN Rwanda) carried out its Annual Retreat where 50 young people from 30 member organizations were present with support from its partners, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), AfroArk and Health Development Initiative (HDI). The AfriYAN Rwanda chapter is a network of youth-led and youth-serving organizations which plays a paramount role in enhancing youth participation in the development and implementation of programs related to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for adolescents and youth including HIV/AIDS, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Youth Empowerment. During the event, on 25th November 2020, AfriYAN joined the rest of the world to kick start the global campaign of the 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence. The retreat was convened to strengthen youth-led organizations’ capacity and seek joint advocacy and efforts for the implementation of Rwanda commitments at the Nairobi Summit on International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25). During this retreat, AfriYAN reviewed the national legal framework on SRHR and key challenges and barriers that youth faced in realizing their SRHR. Some of the key challenges raised included gaps in the laws and policies regarding SRHR such as article 11 of the medical professional liability insurance law, article 7 of the Human Reproductive Health Law requiring minors and incapable people to have parental authorization to access SRHR services including modern contraceptive methods and HIV/AIDS prophylaxis. Such huge obstacles are connected to the national data which requires more effort as youth-friendly services are still in shortage as only 13.6% of the national health facilities provide these services and programs that are not inclusive for people with disabilities according to the Ministry of Health. “At AfriYAN Rwanda, we believe in an enabling environment that offers adequate accessibility to everyone who needs SRHR information and services without any form of barriers. We can not afford to offer protection to our adolescents and youth only after they get pregnant or become infected with HIV/AIDS. ” said Evode NIYIBIZI, Deputy President for AfriYAN Rwanda. The retreat recommended meaningful youth engagement in policy and decision making for public and private entities, review of the national laws and policies to remove barriers to access services for everyone in need, increased funds allocation in youth-led initiatives and innovations in response to SRHR’s adolescents and youth pressing issues such as lack of adequate information and access to services.
