As the globe celebrates International Day of the Girl Child (IDG), Patrick Kulati, loveLife’s CEO, has emphasised the significance of a stronger focus on reducing HIV infections in girls.
He said LoveLife has always reiterated that on days such as this year’s IDG, society needs to recognise that sexual rights violations and teenage pregnancies increase when girls are denied their rights to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and well-being.
Kulati further stressed that the investment in girls’ rights, as per this year’s theme, should also be centred on affording them the opportunity to make decisions about their bodies and futures while we understand the effects and impact of teenage pregnancy.
It is revealed that globally, UNICEF estimates that adolescent girls continue to account for three in four new HIV infections among adolescents.
UNICEF themed this year’s IDG: “Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-Being.”
The fund also points out that there have been a range of movements and actions to curtail girls’ and women’s rights and roll back progress on gender equality, and we see particularly harsh impacts on girls.
Explaining more about the day, Kulati said: “The IDG has been observed over a number of years, yet we are still seeing little progress when it comes to the restoration of the rights of children, particularly on issues such as SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights). We need to do better.
“We have heard all the right voices when it comes to how we need to fairly treat our girl children, yet we see the opposite in our actions. It cannot be the case that we still see a rise in HIV infections and teenage pregnancies across SA.”
He said there should be further investment in their well-being, with appropriate access given to healthcare services and comprehensive sexuality education.
Kulati concluded: “We need to do better as a society to support our girl children. Their well-being should be our priority. We cannot just stand idle while our girl children continue to be exploited, and there is little focus on SRHR.
“We have excellent policies when it comes to SRHR; as we commemorate the IDG, let us work hard in the implementation of these policies and see better treatment of girl children in our communities.”