Strengthening Youth Participation in Abortion Prevention and Reproductive Health Policy Reform

Abstract

Unsafe abortion remains a major public health problem in Nigeria and a major contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality among adolescents and young people. However, many young Nigerians are still facing problems on reproduction health despite all the efforts being made to improve their reproductive health, including lack of reproductive health knowledge, lack of access to youth-friendly services, poverty, stigma, gender inequality, and lack of participation in policy making processes. These factors make it more likely for a woman to become pregnant and risk unsafe abortions. This policy brief calls for more effective youth engagement in reproductive health policy reform, by identifying young people as active members of the community, peer educators and actors in policy implementation. The short makes the case for effective youth engagement in the goal of raising reproductive health awareness, improving community acceptance of prevention programmes, increasing access to reproductive health services and reducing unintended pregnancies and associated complications from unsafe abortions. In addition, it recommends policy changes that will institutionalize the involvement of children and adolescents, enhance reproductive health education, increase youth-friendly services, and encourage youth-led advocacy efforts, as part of an integrated policy framework to improve reproductive health in Nigeria.