INTRODUCTION

WE, the civil society organizations comprising delegates from Malawi and Tanzania under the Women’s Global Network on Reproductive Rights Africa (WGNRR Africa), meeting at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe, from the 16th to 18th August 2021 for the SADC People’s Summit:

Recognize the joint efforts and gains made by the SADC state Governments in improving the health & well-being and upholding the rights of adolescents in regards to their access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights services and information within the region.

Acknowledge progressive adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights policies, legislation, strategies, regional and global commitments, such as the SADC SRHR strategy, the ESA commitments, the Maputo Plan of Action, Malawi youth-friendly health services strategy among others. However, adolescents and young people (10-24 years) within SADC region continue to face a multitude of sexual and reproductive health and rights issues which if not managed will consequently follow into their adulthood.

Concerned that Conflicting and retrogressive laws in the SADC region fuel the emergence and persistence of issues affecting adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health and rights, undermining their rights and posing the greatest barrier to access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services. Persistent legal and practical barriers and widespread human rights violations including gender-based violence, restrict the choice of young people to access critical sexual and reproductive information and services in the region.

For example, in Malawi, access to sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services is prohibited in schools, where 81 percent of teenagers spend the majority of their time. We’re particularly worried that, despite the availability of youth-friendly health services, only 31.7 percent have heard about them and 13% of adolescents have accessed them.

In Tanzania, teenage pregnancies are on the rise. One in four young women aged 15 – 19 are mothers; while 40% of young women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, and almost 20% have experienced sexual violence (TDHRS 2015/16). Further, pregnant teenagers and those who gave birth are not allowed to go back to school.

We are also concerned that most of the SADC countries are experiencing an increased early sexual debut. For instance, 57% of young women and 48% of young men in Tanzania reported having sex before 18 years of age; and in Malawi, 64% of adolescent girls have had sexual intercourse by the age of 18 and 42% of adolescent boys have had sexual intercourse by age 18.

CALL TO ACTION
We call upon the member state of the SADC region, UN Agencies, the private sector, CSOs, Ministries of Health and Education to:

• Urgently review and harmonize all contradicting and retrogressive laws and policies hindering access to sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents and young people. Specifically, we call up the ministries of Health and Education in Malawi to review and harmonize the National Education Policy with the SRHR policy & the youth-friendly health services strategy for equitable and accessible sexual and reproductive health services and information for school-going adolescents. We call upon the government of the United Republic of Tanzania through the ministry of health to urgently develop a stand-alone adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health policy.
  
• Allocate 15% of the national budget to health in line with the Abuja Declaration and commit to a target of spending 5% of their GDP translating to 112USD per capita on health as their commitment to realize Universal Health Coverage. In particular, the United Republic of Tanzania should prioritize the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents despite reaching the 15% allocation towards health. Prioritize adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services within essential services package in the emergency response plans i.e Covid-19, floods, Ebola e.t.c. We call upon the United Republic of Tanzania to strengthen the implementation and budget allocation towards National Multisectoral Strategic Framework for HIV/AIDS 2017-2023, National Adolescent Health and Development Strategy 2018-2022, National Youth Development Policy 2007 and the Tanzania Health Sector Strategic Plan III.
  
• Increase Access to age-appropriate SRH Information by effectively implementing Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) and engaging meaningfully the social and educational sectors as well as the civil society organization. The process of accreditation to implement CSE in schools should be well outlined to aid programs implemented by non – state actors.
  
• Provide and improve youth-friendly services that deliver, address and respond to the specific needs of adolescent and young people of reproductive age in their diversity, living in different socio-economic context, with a particular focus on reducing stigma and discrimination faced by adolescents and young people and improving service providers’ attitudes.
  
• Enhance meaningful adolescents and youth Engagement in Sexual Reproductive Health Rights policy discussions: plan and provide engagement opportunities for the youth, build their capacity and leadership skills and invest sufficient resources to ensure this becomes a reality.

This Communique is included in The Response a compendium of the key outcome documents from the #SADC Summit to keep track of the outcomes and hold leaders accountable for the implementation of the recommendations and decisions made.