A strong message was sent last Sunday in the push to change the narrative on unsafe abortion.
Teen mums and adolescent girls faced off in a football match in Kajiado county organised by Usawa Reproductive Health Association and Youth Friendly Centre.
The game was played at Kasoro Bahari Stadium in Embulbul, Ngong.
Usawa Teen Mums and Embulbul Girls did more than score goals, they kicked out abortion stigma.
“Women are afraid of seeking post-abortion care,” Usawa founder and executive director Jolly Mukangu said.
She said young girls and adolescents are hard hit by unsafe abortion. Reports indicate there are more than 793,000 cases of induced abortion a year.
The data comes from recent National Study findings by the African Population and Health Research Centre, the Guttmacher Institute and the Ministry of Health.
Kenya pledged to reduce the rate of teen pregnancies from 15 per cent to 10 per cent by 2025, but challenges remain.
Meanwhile, it is estimated that every year, at least 2,600 women die from unsafe abortions in Kenya.
Another 21,000 are hospitalised annually due to complications arising from incomplete abortions, whether spontaneous or induced.
Mukangu said chemists are dispensing abortion pills in an unsafe way.
“This year, on International Safe Abortion Day, we celebrated the girl child and said that abortion is healthcare,” she said.
“The footballers are Usawa Reproductive Health Peer Champions. They won to go play in Mexico.”
The event brought together young people, community leaders, and local administration to raise awareness, spark dialogue and reaffirm the shared commitment to reproductive health and rights.
Mukangu urged the government to ensure the adolescents and young people’s policies speak to them.
“The penal code should be reviewed to speak the same language with the constitution when it comes to abortion,” she said.
“We hence say that adolescents, young women, have the right to access safe and legal abortion healthcare.”
The International Safe Abortion Day is a global movement that defends safe, legal and stigma-free abortion and post-abortion care.
