Gender inequality, difficulties in accessing services, and poverty are fuelling high rates of unintended pregnancies, and HIV infection in Homa Bay.
The findings are contained in a report commissioned by the Homa Bay government and carried out by the Overseas Development Institute and LVCT Health, with support from Unicef.
The report, ‘Unintended Pregnancies and HIV Amongst Adolescents and Young People: A Situation Analysis of Homa Bay, Kenya’, highlights that a third (33 percent) of teenage girls aged 15 to 19 in Homa Bay are mothers or pregnant with their first child, almost twice the national average of 18 percent.
It also shows that young people aged 15-24 contribute 13 percent of the total number of HIV infections among 15-49-year-olds in the county. There are similar trends in other Western Kenyan counties.
“We must take urgent steps to make sure children and young people receive the information and support they need to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and HIV,” said Maniza Zaman, Unicef representative to Kenya.
“This is particularly relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic when safety nets like families and schools have been affected.”
Adolescent girls were identified as particularly vulnerable, as they often have little say in relationships and the use of condoms. They face pressure from peers or wider society to get pregnant or marry early, or circumstances force them into transactional sex—for example, to get fish to feed their families.
Many girls told researchers they lacked access to, or awareness of, relevant HIV, sexual and reproductive health services.
The study also found that adolescent girls are at risk of sexual violence, increasing their risk of HIV and unintended pregnancy.vIt was reported that cases of defilement have increased in the county, particularly during school holidays, with many cases going unreported.
Violence and sexual abuse of underage girls are often not reported because of fears of stigma and prejudice or fear of retaliation from the wider community.
“We need a society-wide shift for men, women, girls, and boys to all understand the risks young people face and to challenge harmful gender norms,” said Professor Richard Muga, county head of Health Services, as he commissioned the report.
“The county government is committed to taking urgent action in response to the report’s findings in order to reduce unintended pregnancies and lower rates of HIV.”
This was a qualitative and in-depth report based on a review of available literature plus interviews with 112 adolescents, parents, government officials, and service providers in Homa Bay Town and Ndhiwa constituencies.
It also highlights other key drivers of adolescent HIV and pregnancy, including poor sex and reproductive health education in schools, which is blamed for not equipping adolescents with the skills and knowledge they need to stay safe.
Others are cultural practices such as disco matanga (funeral), a practice of young members of the community. It involves young villagers coming together to play music and dance during funeral vigils. The practice makes room for risky behavior as some resort to having unprotected sex and abusing drugs.
“It is critical we understand the underlying drivers of high teenage pregnancies and HIV, including stigma, social norms around expected behavior and peer pressure to engage in sexual relations at an early age and to get pregnant,” said Dr. Fiona Samuels, a senior research fellow at ODI and principal investigator for the study.
“Without this understanding, programs and policies will continue to fail adolescents, especially girls.”
HIV and pregnancy can have huge health, psychological and socio-economic impacts on young people. The leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19 worldwide is pregnancy and childbirth complications.
Girls who are pregnant or have HIV can end up dropping out of school and experiencing depression or poor health.
Adolescent girls who get pregnant are also more at risk of child marriage and can face life-threatening complications during childbirth, as their bodies are not yet ready for delivery.
They often become economically dependent on their partner and more at risk of violence and abuse. It can be a vicious cycle.
Unicef, together with the UN family, works with the government at national and county levels to ensure adolescents are protected from violence and harmful cultural practices.
The partnership also ensures they have access to HIV prevention and care services, as well as appropriate sexual reproductive health services.
And to intensify the war on HIV, sexual violence, and teen pregnancies, Unicef urged the government and partners to urgently implement the report’s key recommendations.
The recommendations include improved and budgeted programming—focusing on addressing harmful gender norms, as well as better dissemination in schools of information on sexual reproductive health, HIV, and services to tackle violence.
Unicef also wants financial support and training opportunities increased, including grants for the most vulnerable girls during school years and tailored training, education and skills development to give girls alternatives to marriage and early pregnancy.
It also wants improved sexual and reproductive health and HIV services, including training for staff, providing easy access to free family-planning supplies in private spaces, and increasing the availability of counseling.
“We commend the county government of Homa Bay for commissioning this crucial report that can help address the issue of teen pregnancies,” Unicef’s Maniza Zaman said.
“We look forward to working together to improve services for young people and to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to stay safe and healthy, giving them the best chance in life.”