In recent years, a global consensus has emerged to define adolescence as a distinct and important period in a person's life. In a joint statement in 1998, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) agreed that the term "adolescent" refers to people between the ages of 10 and 19. Currently, one out of five people in the world is an adolescent. For the most part, the reproductive health needs of this group have been neglected or treated as indistinguishable from childhood health concerns.
Young girls in many social and cultural contexts, however, are confronted with sexual and reproductive health issues as early as age 10. They may be forced into early marriage, become victims of rape or incest, or undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). Without access to a full range of appropriate and freely chosen contraceptives, adolescent girls may face unwanted or mistimed pregnancies. Adolescents worldwide disproportionately undergo illegal and unsafe abortion due to limited or nonexistent access to quality, confidential reproductive health services and information, including contraception. In addition, adolescents experience greater susceptibility to the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs) due to factors such as early sexual initiation, sexual violence and exploitation, and difficulty in negotiating safe sex. Moreover, the physical immaturity of many adolescent girls, coupled with their lack of access to adequate prenatal and maternal health care services, increases their risk of death from pregnancy-related complications. Young adolescents are up to five times as likely as women over 20 to die from pregnancy-related causes.
The 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child (PDF) first gave international recognition to adolescents' right to health, including their reproductive health. The Convention obligates governments to ensure adolescents' access to reproductive health services by explicitly recognizing their right "to the enjoyment of the highest standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health." In the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), governments agreed to provide adolescents with information and services to help them understand their sexuality and protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and STIs.
Due to controversies related to adolescent sexuality and the general lack of knowledge about the reproductive and sexual needs of this population, however, very few countries have set up adequate health care services for adolescents. Policy-makers, health care professionals, parents, and educators should work to help adolescents develop into healthy adults by providing them with accurate information and counseling, and accessible, high-quality health services to ensure their continued reproductive health and autonomy.
Fact Sheets:
- International Sexual and Reproductive Rights Coalition Factsheets
Articles and Briefing Papers:
Books and Reports:
RFN Articles:
See our Shadow Reports for the Reproductive Rights of Young Girls and Adolescents in various regions.
Abortion
