- The policy is being formulated in collaboration with Network for Adolescent and Youth of Africa
- He said that the framework will help the Universal Health Coverage goals
Image: George Murage
Nairobi government has moved in to formulate a new policy to address rising cases of sexual orgies among teenagers.
The County Adolescent and Youth Reproductive Health Implementation framework also seeks to address the rising cases of teenage pregnancies and HIV Aids, attributed to the orgies.
The trend that started at the onset of Covid-19 has also seen abortion cases go up.
The policy is being formulated in collaboration with Network for Adolescent and Youth of Africa.
It also seeks to address sexual health challenges facing the youths.
Naya head of programmes Robert Aseda said there is an urgent need to address the sexual challenges facing teenagers.
“A study conducted in Nairobi indicates a rise in sexual orgies and the high pregnancies recorded are among teenagers thus complicating the situation,” he said.
Aseda spoke on the sidelines of a consultative meeting in Naivasha with Nairobi government health representatives.
He said that the framework will help the Universal Health Coverage goals.
There are more that one million youths in Nairobi and the country’s healthcare system is not adequately responding to their health needs leading to poor health outcomes.
He said the negative health outcomes among adolescents and youth could be attributed to early sexual debut, risky sexual behaviors such as unprotected sex and multiple sexual partners.
“Other vices include sexual and gender-based violence, poverty and harmful retrogressive cultural practices including FGM,” Aseda said.
Dollarman Natse of Center for the Study of Adolescence said they are working closely with the Nairobi Youth Advisory Council in the project.
Other issues that have emerged include the rise in murder cases targeting young women.
"Many young people lack comprehensive and correct information on their sexuality largely because of the embarrassment, silence and disapproval of open discussion of sexual matters,” he said.
Nairobi Youth Advisory Council president Niyibeshaho Marie Merci expressed her concern over the low number of women who had knowledge on HIV Aids compared to men.
“As we review this framework, we are keen to address the issue of low HIV Aids awareness among women which stands at 58 per cent compared to men, which is 74 per cent,” she said.