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Adolescent Maternal Mortality: An Overlooked Crisis (The Facts) (Order publication - $1.00)
La Mortalidad Materna en Adolescentes: Una Crisis Ignorada
As many as 529,000 women die each year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for young women ages 15 through 19. The reproductive health of adolescent women depends on biological, social, and economic factors. Programs must provide education, family planning services, and pre- and postnatal care to reduce morbidity and mortality among young women.
Adolescent Reproductive Health in Nigeria (The Facts) (available online only)
One third (36.5 million) of Nigeria's total population of 123 million are youth between the ages of 10 and 24.By 2025, the number of Nigerian youth will exceed 57 million. Lack of sexual health information and services places these young people at risk for pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted infections (STI), and HIV/AIDS. In addition, early marriage and childbearing limit youth's educational and employment opportunities. Yet, effective, innovative programs can provide youth with the sexual health information and services they need.
Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan Africa (The Facts) (available online only)
Many governments in sub-Saharan Africa view with concern the region's continued rapid population growth, high birth rates, and escalating rates of HIV infection. Unprotected adolescent sexual activity significantly contributes to these numbers. Promoting contraceptive and condom use among youth can lead to decreases in morbidity and mortality due to unsafe pregnancy, abortion, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS, and can slow population growth. Many non-governmental organizations and some governments are working to meet the reproductive health needs of adolescents by providing sexuality education and life skills development, but more needs to be accomplished. Advocacy Kit for Growing Up Global: the Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries (Report) (available online only)
To facilitate use of the data in Growing Up Global by adult and youth activists working on youth reproductive and sexual health issues, Advocates for Youth and Population Reference Bureau have developed this advocacy kit. The advocacy kit provides a series of fact sheets on the data and policy recommendations drawn from the publication, as well as calls to action and advocacy tips. Fact sheet topics include youth sexual and reproductive health; youth and marriage; youth and parenting; and youth and education. The material can be used by advocates to inform and enhance their existing advocacy strategy on youth reproductive and sexual health; to educate and influence decision-makers and funders; as hand-outs for leaders during lobby visits, meetings and conferences; and other advocacy activities. Advocating for Adolescent Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan Africa (Report) (available online only)
This advocacy kit is designed to help advocates in Africa develop the skills to advocate for young people's reproductive health education and services. It describes some of the steps in organizing campaigns and provides information on developing, implementing, and evaluating a successful advocacy strategy. It provides examples of advocacy efforts by looking closely at the strategies and activities of reproductive health advocates in sub-Saharan Africa. These examples provide guidance to new campaigns, stimulate ideas, and generate new contacts among reproductive health advocates from around the region. Creating Youth-Friendly Sexual Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa (Issues at a Glance) (available online only)
In most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, youth encounter significant obstacles to receiving sexual and reproductive health services and to obtaining effective, modern contraception and condoms to protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. This paper gives guidelines for creating youth-friendly programs and services, and gives examples of three successful projects in Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya. Cyber Cafés: Improving Access to Information for Youth in High Risk Situations (Issues at a Glance) (Order publication - $1.00)
The Internet is a powerful and inexpensive way for people to make connections, share information, and exchange ideas. Although access is still limited in many countries, young people worldwide increasingly view the Internet as an important source for health information. Moreover, cyber cafés are popping up all over the globe to provide Internet access. For gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) youth and for young men who have sex with men (YMSM), cyber cafés can offer a safe means for finding accurate information and a supportive community. Gender Bias: Perspectives From the Developing World (The Facts) (available online only)
Inequities, driven by overwhelming poverty, affect both male and female children in the developing world. Yet cultural traditions, scant economic resources and limited opportunities marginalize young girls. Young boys have better access to health care, nutrition and education. Gender bias is reinforced throughout adulthood as men retain economic and political power. This fact sheet examines how young women in countries around the world experience gender bias.
Improving U.S. Global AIDS Policy for Young People: Assessing PEPFAR (Report) (available online only)
Under former President Bush’s administration, U.S. government policies severely limited the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR’s) use of effective, science-based, public health strategies to reduce HIV transmission among youth. This report discusses three major shortcomings of policies under PEPFAR and the Office of Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC): that ideology trumps science in PEPFAR’s HIV prevention strategy for young people; that OGAC resists linking HIV prevention with reproductive health care and services; and that HIV-positive adolescents receive inadequate attention as a vulnerable population. Improving U.S. Global HIV Prevention for Youth (Policy Brief) (available online only)
This document explains why the Bush Administration’s insistence on a “segmented” approach to the ABCs of HIV prevention (abstinence, be faithful, use condoms) is not supported by science and leads to increased HIV rates among young people in low and middle income countries. Improving Youth's Access to Contraception in Latin America (Issues at a Glance) (available online only)
Most Latin American youth face significant obstacles to sexual and reproductive health services. These barriers interfere, in particular, with their obtaining and using effective, modern contraception and/or barrier protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This document summarizes these barriers and ways to create youth-friendly services. Finally, it describes organizations in Peru, Ecuador, and Nicaragua working to design and implement effective strategies to improve youth's access to family planning. Integrating Efforts to Prevent HIV, Other STIs, and Pregnancy among Teens in Developing Countries (Issues at a Glance) (available online only)
Youth's decisions about their sexual and reproductive health affect not only their lives, but also the health of the global community. Thus, there is an urgent need for programs and policies to address the complex sexual and reproductive health needs of earth's one billion youth ages 15 to 24. This paper discusses integration and offers case studies, lessons learned, and tips for integrated approaches to preventing HIV, STIs, and unintended pregnancy among youth. Male Circumcision as HIV Prevention (The Facts) (available online only)
Recent studies have demonstrated that circumcision offers men considerable—though not complete—protection against acquiring HIV through heterosexual intercourse. This fact sheet discusses recent studies on male circumcision, biological mechanisms by which the practice may reduce men’s risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection, global prevalence of male circumcision, and recommendations for HIV prevention programs and policies.
Powerful Partnerships: Linking IEC and Services for Adolescent Sexual Health (Issues at a Glance) (available online only)
Alianzas poderosas: vinculación de los proyectos de IEC y los servicios
Relier l'IEC et les services de santé sexuelle des adolescents
Well-planned collaboration between implementors of information, education, and communication (IEC) projects and clinic service providers is essential to the success of any efforts to improve young people's reproductive and sexual health. Youth reached by IEC programs deserve access to services so that those who are sexually active can protect themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Too often, IEC programs successfully increase youth's motivation to seek services but service providers are left out of the process and are unprepared to meet adolescents' needs. This paper examines the challenges in connecting IEC projects and clinic services and provides guidelines on successful partnerships between the two.
Science and Success in Developing Countries: Holistic Programs That Work to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, HIV & Sexually Transmitted Infections (Report) Youth in developing countries face significant threats to their health and well-being—threats that include the HIV and AIDS pandemic, high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unintended pregnancies that may result in maternal morbidity and/or mortality. Given the need to focus limited prevention resources on effective programs, Advocates for Youth undertook an exhaustive review to find programs proven effective by rigorous evaluation and identified the 10 highly effective programs highlighted in this document. Sexual Abuse and Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa (The Facts) (available online only)
Sexual abuse and violence are serious problems that transcend racial, economic, social and regional lines. Violence is frequently directed toward females and youth, who lack the economic and social status to resist or avoid it. Adolescents and young women, in particular, may experience abuses in the form of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and/or female genital mutilation. Cultural mores against reporting abuse make it difficult to assess accurately, and few adolescent health programs in sub-Saharan African address these critical issues.
South-to-South Collaboration to Improve Programs for Youth (Issues at a Glance) (available online only)
One important strategy for improving reproductive and sexual health policies and programs is south-to-south collaboration—the sharing of experience between developing countries and between individuals, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and/or governments and their agencies in developing countries. The central premise of south-to-south collaboration is that, by sharing information and strategies, organizations in developing countries can improve programs, pool scarce resources, and advance mutually held goals. This paper provides an overview of one such collaborative effort, with an emphasis on the benefits, results, and lessons learned from the project.
The HIV/AIDS Pandemic among Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa (The Facts) (available online only)
About 1.7 million new adolescent HIV infections—over half of the world's total—occur in sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, nearly 70 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa, and over 80 percent of AIDS deaths have occurred there.The epidemic has had a devastating effect on most African youth who often lack access to sexual health information and services. In particular, unmarried youth have great difficulty getting needed sexual health services. At the same time, cultural, social, and economic norms and pressures often put young African women at excess risk for HIV infection. The Sexual and Reproductive Health of Young People in Latin America and the Caribbean (The Facts) (available online only)In this region, many young people are sexually experienced, and unprotected sexual intercourse places youth at risk of unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and infection with sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Adolescent pregnancy rates remain high in Latin America, and HIV/AIDS rates are alarming among young people in the Caribbean. Nevertheless, some reproductive and sexual health programs address the needs of youth and are showing encouraging results.
The Sexual and Reproductive Health of Youth: A Global Snapshot (The Facts) (available online only)
Worldwide, many youth have had sexual intercourse and are at risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, or of involvement in unintended pregnancy. Research based reproductive health programs can provide youth with the information, support, and services they need to make responsible decisions about their sexual health.
Youth and the Global HIV/AIDS Pandemic (The Facts) (available online only)
Twenty-five years into the HIV/AIDS pandemic, HIV and AIDS continue to be a dire threat to global public health. More than half of all new HIV infections occur among people under the age of 25, and almost 11.8 million youth are living with HIV or AIDS. Throughout the world, almost 6,000 youth ages 15 to 24 are infected with HIV each day. Learn the facts about HIV/AIDS and the world’s youth.
Youth and the State of Culture (The Facts) (available online only)
Culture provides the framework for people's social behaviors, contributes to their feeling of community, and helps individuals form their identity. However, constraints arising from cultural traditions often limit young people's access to the information and services they need to make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive lives. This fact sheet explores the various cultural issues that are of great significance to young people worldwide, including such factors as information and communication technologies, and media's influence on young people's choices.
Youth and the State of Science: Health, New Technologies, Ethics and Human Rights (The Facts) (available online only)
Many factors, including gender and age inequities, sociocultural norms, educational opportunities, provider attitudes, and economic opportunities, affect each young person's ability to use reproductive and sexual health information and services. This fact sheet explores new technologies for preventing pregnancy, HIV, and STIs, and examines the issues around making these available to all youth worldwide.
Youth and the State of the World (The Facts) (available online only)
In 1995, the UN General Assembly adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, setting forth a global framework to address key issues related to youth and reflecting a dialogue ongoing since the 1960s. This fact sheet examines issues affecting youth worldwide a decade later and beyond, including poverty, conflict, globalization, education, employment, and HIV and AIDS.
Youth and their Communities Take Charge to Improve Youth Reproductive and Sexual Health (available online only)
A report on the Burkina Faso project. The overall goal of this project was to improve youth’s sexual and reproductive health through community participation. To this end, Advocates for Youth worked with Mwangaza Action, a Burkinabé nongovernmental organization (NGO), and three youth associations in southern Burkina Faso, building their capacity regarding 1) youth’s reproductive and sexual health and 2) community participation. Together over 1.5 years, the partners mobilized 20 villages to identify priority issues with respect to adolescents’ reproductive and sexual health and strategies to address these priorities. As a result, communities launched interventions that ran for the remaining year and a half of the project. Youth Reproductive and Sexual Health in Jamaica (The Facts) (available online only)
Youth ages 10 to 24 comprise nearly one-third of Jamaica's total population of over 2.6 million.Early sexual activity, combined with a lack of relevant information, services, and skills to avoid risky situations, place Jamaican youth at risk of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, and other threats to their sexual and reproductive health. Violence (including physical and sexual abuse) and substance abuse are also a part of many young people’s lives. But effective and innovative programs and partnerships can provide youth with the sexual health information, life skills, and services that they need.
Youth's Reproductive Health: Key to Achieving the Millennium Development Goals at the Country Level (Issues at a Glance) (available online only)
In 2000, the leaders of 189 countries came together at the Millennium Summit and pledged to: eliminate poverty; create a climate for sustainable development; and ensure human rights, peace, and security for the entire world's people. Eight overarching Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) measure progress towards this vision. None of the MDGs explicitly references youth's reproductive health, even though its relationship to alleviating poverty cannot be overlooked. This paper describes actions governments must take to move toward creating a healthy and economically secure populace.
Youth's Reproductive Health Targets Must Be Included in the Millennium Declaration (Issues at a Glance) (available online only)
In 2000, the leaders of 189 countries came together at the Millennium Summit and pledged to: eliminate poverty; create a climate for sustainable development; and ensure human rights, peace, and security for the entire world's people. Eight overarching Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) measure progress towards this vision. None of the MDGs explicitly references youth's reproductive health, even though its relationship to alleviating poverty cannot be overlooked. This paper urges the General Assembly of the United Nations to include young people’s reproductive health among the MDGs.
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