CIVIL society groups are pushing Parliament to enact a law allowing girls under 18 to access sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services based on their maturity and understanding, as Zimbabwe battles rising teenage pregnancies and HIV infections among adolescents.
The call comes amid growing concern over the number of adolescents falling pregnant, with assessments showing teenagers account for between 21% and 23% of antenatal bookings nationwide.
Advocacy groups warn that denying young people access to contraception, HIV prevention, counselling and reproductive health information is fuelling school dropouts, unsafe abortions, child marriages and long-term poverty.
The Access Taskforce, a coalition of civil society organisations working to improve access to essential services, says Zimbabwe’s laws remain one of the biggest barriers to adolescent healthcare.
“The Access Taskforce’s position is that adolescents, including girls under the age of 18, should be able to access sexual and reproductive health services based on their maturity and ability to understand the service being provided, not simply their age alone,” Diana Mailosi, a member of the advocacy core team, told NewsDay.
“The issue is not only about preventing pregnancy. It is about protecting the health, future, dignity and economic potential of young people in Zimbabwe.”
Mailosi said healthcare workers often hesitated to provide services to minors because the law is unclear on consent, forcing some adolescents to seek parental approval even in difficult circumstances.
She said orphaned girls, abuse survivors and adolescents living alone were among the most affected.
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“The current framework often assumes that anyone under 18 cannot independently consent to SRH services, even when they clearly understand the health risks and implications.
“Right now everyone is concentrating on why CSOs [civic society organisations] and other stakeholders are pushing for increased access and see it as encouraging adolescent sexual behaviour.
“However, no one is bothered to understand the barriers and why we are seeing so many teenage pregnancies, and how they are affecting the lives of young people while we argue.”
The taskforce argues that the law should focus on informed consent — whether a young person understands the risks, benefits and implications of the health service being provided.
Several African countries, including Uganda, Lesotho and South Africa, allow adolescents to access HIV and reproductive health services before reaching adulthood.
Regional and international health bodies, among them the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Population Fund, have also recommended removing unnecessary age-related barriers to reproductive healthcare.
Advocates say evidence from across the region shows improved access to adolescent SRH services reduces HIV infections, lowers school absenteeism and improves school completion rates.
Mailosi said relying on guidelines and programmes alone was inadequate because they could be inconsistently applied or undermined by stigma.
“A legal framework is necessary because adolescents’ health rights are constitutional rights, not optional programmes,” she said.
Youth organisations say Zimbabwe’s broader socio-economic challenges are worsening the vulnerability of young people.
Many youths lack access to comprehensive sexuality education, mental health services and basic healthcare, while unemployment, substance abuse and school dropouts continue to rise.
Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) executive director Itai Rusike said targeted interventions were urgently needed to empower young people to make informed decisions about their health and futures.
“The CWGH believes that it is crucial to address these health, social, economic and related challenges through targeted interventions that empower young people to take charge of their health, economic and social well-being,” Rusike said.
“This includes providing them with the opportunities, knowledge, skills, support systems and resources necessary to access services and make informed decisions.”
He said young people should be directly involved in designing and implementing health programmes to ensure their needs are properly addressed.
He also warned that the digital divide remained a major obstacle for youths in low-income and rural communities despite high mobile phone penetration.
“We, therefore, call for the enactment of national policies that promote digital inclusion, ensuring that all youth can benefit from the opportunities that technology offers.”
Shamwari YeMwanasikana founding director Ekenia Chifamba said rising teenage pregnancies represented both a child protection and public health crisis.
“As Shamwari YeMwanasikana, we believe the growing number of teenage and child pregnancies in Zimbabwe is a serious child protection and public health concern that requires urgent, balanced and rights-based interventions,” Chifamba said.
She said contraceptive access alone would not solve the problem, calling for stronger action against sexual exploitation, gender-based violence and harmful social norms.
“We encourage continued national dialogue involving government, civil society organisations, health experts, parents and young people to develop solutions that protect children while also responding realistically to the challenges affecting adolescents today.”
