Thread by @OpenParlyZw

Happening Now: On #AmakhosikaziChatroom.
Women discussing issues to do with ‘Access to sexual reproductive health information and services for adolescents’.

Guests :
Dr Ruth Labode : Parliamentary committee on health chairperson

Prisca Dube : Women and Legal rights expert

Topical issues being discussed

•Should 12 year olds be allowed access to contraceptives?
•How safe is giving adolescents full rights to access reproductive services without parental consent?

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•Is denying adolescents from being given contraceptives a violation of their sexual and reproductive health rights?
•Does legalizing contraceptives for 12 year olds not contradict the laws on age of consent?

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Dr Ruth Labode " As parliament we are not trying to change the age of consent to sex which is 16 or age of majority (12). We want those kids who have already indulged in sex and also for those who live alone or orphans who are heading families already..."

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Dr Ruth Labode "They should be allowed access to contraceptive services and condoms. Some children cant talk to their parents about sex making it hard to be safe"

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Dr Ruth Labode"UNICEF 2019 study reports that 7000 children failed to proceed to form one because of pregnancies. @naczim also revealed that AIDS is now controllable among adults but difficult with kids. This is because children secretly have unprotected sex"

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Dr Ruth Labode "There is a report which states that 70 000 illegal abortions are happening in Zimbabwe every year, due to the fact that children are sexually active but are not allowed to collect or receive condoms.

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Dr Ruth Labode "We have a national goal of ending AIDS by 2030 but we wont achieve this if we have children who are indulging in sex secretly. Children should be allowed to access these services, i mean those who are sexually active"
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Prisca Dube "A child is a person below the age of 18 but we know that some children are already adults. Some parents are missing in action when they go to the diaspora and children are raising themselves...'

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Prisca Dube "Society cant raise our children whilst we are away anymore. We are no longer a communal society where a child was raised by a village, we are on our own now and we should engage with our children"

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@naczim

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Prisca Dube "Looking at the levels of AIDS among children, teenage pregnancies, STI and back yard abortions, shouldn’t we say those children that are indulging in sex start to have contraceptives services and condoms so that we prevent pregnancies, STIs, AIDS and abortions"

Prisca Dube "If we are not comfortable with the age 12 then what are we comfortable with, lets come up with a study and understand whats going on the ground with our children and most importantly lets sit down with them and understand their plight"

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Prisca Dube "Allowing adolescents to access services does not mean these will be distributed willy nilly like sweets. The move is to make services accessible to those in need of those services..."

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Prisca Dube "Some adolescents are having relationships with their peers whilst others are having sexual relations with adults, which in some cases the adults are relatives we do not even want to report to the police. So we need to be objectively think about this"

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Participant " Beer is not allowed for under aged children then why should we allow contraceptives. The same mechanism used to control young drinkers should be used for those indulging in sex at a tender age"

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Participant " Children must be children. Sex is not part of being a child, the fact that we are having this discussion shows that our society has gone wrong. Early adoption of sex and contraceptives is bad, by the time they grow up they will be exhausted and used up"

Participant "I feel there is a difference between accessing contraceptives and accessing knowledge. Lets teach the girls from a young age and empower them before they get to that stage of accessing contraceptives"

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@MoHCCZim
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