SmartGirlsAgainstSGBV#SheMatters#

Students are facing challenges in accessing sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) such as access to comprehensive sexuality education and to essential sexual and reproductive health services. Students are struggling to contraceptives in tertiary institutions especially church-based institutions. As a result, students are engaging in unprotected sex which leads to the contraction of STIs such as HIV and sick and this is leading to unintended pregnancies.

Information gap is another challenge that students from tertiary institutions are facing this is because students are lagging behind whilst others say lack of comprehensive sexuality education was increasing exposure to risk and unintended adverse outcomes. Children in tertiary institutes especially those which are church based want to engage in sexual activities and they are engaging in sexual activities whilst the school rules say you should abstain but students do not obey because they have their sexual rights so they don’t have adequate information on safer sex you which is exposing them to risk.

Nurses or health worker who works in university clinics shout at students and some of them rom around telling people our issues and some will delay giving us services we will be in need of, such as contraceptives this is a challenge that students from tertiary institutions are facing

Students are not able to decide for themselves towards their sexual rights or their bodies. If a girl child got pregnant and want abortion some nurses or health workers they do not offer the service to the girl because she just decide on her own they say they want parental consent for access to the services on the other hand students opt not to seek care they want to avoid telling their parents about their health problems and sexual activity because they will end up judging basing on the societal norms and values which says a girl should not engage in sexual activities before marriage so students end up being exposed to unsafe ways of abortion. More so, some laws serve to protect young people, national age of consent laws and social norms is also influencing service providers attitudes and behaviors and create barriers to service access.

Furthermore, recommendations for redressing sexual reproductive health rights challenges include health interventions should be available and accessible at the time and place they are needed and they must be also be acceptable and of high quality. This will ensure the safety of students in tertiary institutions. Providers of sexual reproductive health services should receive training and ongoing supervision in providing services such as contraceptives, counselings and medication.

Finally, the spread of STIs and HIV cases in colleges and universities is more prevalent this is because of unsafe sexual practices and lack of contraceptives. Some universities have an outbreak of these STIs which shows that sexual reproductive health rights issues should be redressing or keep on raising awareness so that students will demand their sexual reproductive health rights in their institutions.