UNICEF and UNFPA launch ‘Count me in’
Empowering women and girls to realize their sexual and reproductive health rights
Bizana, Eastern Cape: Despite South Africa’s progressive gender equality legislation and national programmes, violence is a daily reality for many in the country with 1 in 3 children experiencing physical and sexual violence prior to the age of 18.
The annual 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is a timely reminder that girls who have been exposed to violence are at increased risk of later acquiring HIV, as well as of depression, suicide and substance abuse. Survivors of sexual violence are twice as likely to develop anxiety and depression and three times more likely to develop PTSD symptoms . In addition, 16 per cent of all HIV infections in women could be prevented if women did not experience domestic violence from their partners.
With this sobering reality in mind, The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) along with the Government of South Africa – with funding from the High Commission of Canada - launched a programme in the Eastern Cape province aimed at addressing these challenges. Titled ‘Count Me In’, this joint initiative is designed to strengthen district-level institutions and communities in order to enable adolescent girls and young women to realize their sexual and reproductive health rights while building more effective referral, coordination, capacity building and coordination between health and social services.
The launch was preceded by a Youth Dialogue in which issues were raised around normalizing the discussion of reproductive health in often conservative, rural regions.
“We need our parents to hold open conversations with us” says 14-year old Makhathini Ncebakazi who was amongst the young participants at the youth dialogue.
In her opening remarks, Muriel Mafico, Deputy Representative of UNICEF South Africa reminded participants that UNICEF and the UNFPA “look forward to working together Government, communities, as well as religious and traditional structures to improve interventions on the ground and provide support to communities and to young people in particular. This means listening to their needs, involving them in the design and delivery of services and empowering them to hold us accountable. We must do this urgently, with determination, focus, innovation and partnership.”