Category: SRHR

Abortion and the moral dilemma; the contradictions of policy and practice

Healthtimes

Moral dilemmas are situations in which an individual is faced by two conflicting ethical decisions, none of which overrides the other. Middle ground anti-abortionists reasoning often cite the moral dilemma as the reason why a definitive position on abortion cannot be reached. This article will look at the middle ground challenge of the moral dilemma as it relates to abortion in the context of Zimbabwe. By Memory Pamella Kadau Abortion in perspective An abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy, which can happen spontaneously, as in the case of…

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China Considers Offering Attractive Incentives For Families To Have More Children As Birth Drops

Michael Gwarisa

A total of 17 Chinese government departments on Tuesday jointly released a guideline on support policies in finance, tax, housing, employment, education and other fields to create a fertility-friendly society and encourage families to have more children, as the country faces growing pressure from falling birth rates. Analysts said that it is rare to see so many ministries and departments jointly release such a detailed and comprehensive guideline on encouraging fertility and supporting childbearing, underscoring the seriousness of the growth rate of China’s population, which has slowed significantly, with a…

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130 million African girls and women today married as children

Healthtimes

On the International Day of the African Child, UNICEF calls on African Union member states to accelerate efforts and to increase domestic resources to end child marriage and female genital mutilation Africa is home to 130 million child brides, both girls under the age of 18 who have already married and adult women who were married as children. Today, UNICEF launched continental and regional reports on child marriage and female genital mutilation in Africa. The reports provide updates on the status of these practices and call on governments and regional…

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Hivos’ Program Expands SRHR Services To Street Children and Vulnerable Groups

Michael Gwarisa

THE Consent2Access Campaign, an advocacy initiative on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) being implemented by Hivos and its partners across Eastern and Southern Africa, has gone a step further by extending services to groups of adolescents and young people that are usually left out in a number of health programs. By Michael Gwarisa The program is being implemented in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe as part of the regional SRH Funds Advocacy campaign aimed at promoting progressive laws, policies and practices that can ensure adolescent and young people access…

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No Means No! Empowering Adolescent Girls To Ward-Off Sexual Violence Through Self-Defense

Michael Gwarisa

Tarisai Mhlanga (10), a Grade 6 pupil at Tafara Primary school in Chipinge says she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. However, with the increasing cases of Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in her community, she fears her dream might never come true. By Michael Gwarisa Though she is still very young, Tarisai dreads that one day on her way from school, when an abuser might just pounce on her and change her life completely. Her fears are real. Sexual abuse is rife in Manicaland province. Since…

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Zimbabwe To Host 23rd International Congress On STIs

Michael Gwarisa

THE 23rd edition of the International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI), will be held in Zimbabwe  from September 4 t0 September 7, 2022, in the resort town of Victoria Falls.   By Michael Gwarisa The Congress will run under the theme, “Confronting Inequities in STI Prevention, Diagnostics and Care,” and will be graced by  various speakers from across the world. In an interview with HealthTimes, Charlene Thlabane Project Manager for the 23rd IUSTI congress said they expect not less than 300 attendees at the 23r IUSTI congress. We expect that…

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Failure To Prioritize Midwives Welfare Leads To Negative Health Outcomes

Healthtimes

The 5th of May was the International Midwives Day. In Zimbabwe there was very little celebration as the midwives are facing numerous challenges, especially around securing living wages. One of the publications in Zimbabwe reported that midwives are wallowing in poverty while they work under very difficult conditions. Midwives in Zimbabwe are facing many challenges which affect their delivery of work. As this is not enough, on the 20th of June, health workers — midwives included — went on a strike, demanding a salary increase. By Edinah Masiyiwa The challenges…

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Revamped Online Comprehensive Sexuality Education Teachers Course To Reach More Teachers

Michael Gwarisa

A new look online Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) course for teachers has been launched during a virtual meeting that was attended by governments officials, teachers from Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia as well as other stakeholders from across the East and Southern Africa (ESA) region. By Michael Gwarisa The CSE Online Course for Teachers is a self-paced online course that provides teachers with access to comprehensive study material developed by CSE experts. Teachers are acquiring adequate knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are critical for effective CSE delivery. This is a way…

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Over 1 million child brides in Zim: UNICEF

Healthtimes

MASHONALAND CENTRAL tops the list of provinces with the highest number of young girls married before 18 in Zimbabwe with Matebeleland South having the lowest. By Kudakwashe Pembere Mash Central accounted for over 50 percent of the girls married before 18 years according to a UNICEF latest report on Child Marriages. In the report, there are over 1 million young Zimbabwean girls married before the age of 18 with 241 000 of these betrothed below 15 years. Matebeleland North, Midlands, and Harare had between 21 and 30 percent. Mashonaland West,…

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Hitting Three Birds with One Stone: Low Cost Boarding Facilities to Address Teen Pregnancies, Early Marriages and New HIV Infections in Chimanimani Adolescent Girls

Michael Gwarisa

HILDER Muwani* (16) is doing Form 3 at Mhakwe Secondary school in Chimanimani. Every day, she walks 30 kilometers to and from school. She at some point contemplated moving to a bush boarding or renting a room near the school just to cut on the distance, but her parents would have none of it. They feared she would mix with the wrong crowd, fall pregnant and end up dropping out of school as has become the fate of many girls in Chimanimani. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Chimanimani The risk…

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