Ensuring Access to Family Planning Among Adolescents in Africa: A Human Rights Approach

Many family planning programs in sub-Saharan Africa are weak, poorly functioning, and are not adequately addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of African youth. Lack of leadership, resources and above all, political will, are the major issues being faced by existing programs. Through a human rights lens, we describe current family planning efforts to increase access and reduce barriers to modern contraceptive methods among youth, particularly adolescents (15 to 24 years). We examine the relationship between access and human rights using available evidence regarding the impact of unmet need for contraception and rapid population growth on current health and development in sub-Saharan Africa, including maternal and child health, resource availability, and poverty reduction strategies. Demographic data and literature are also reviewed to determine the amount of effort necessary for future progress and successful approaches to revitalizing family planning programs. We identify four strategies that governments in low-resource settings, such as sub-Saharan Africa, must take to increase contraceptive prevalence among youth within a human rights framework: i) increase knowledge about the safety of contraception; ii) reduce fees to ensure genuine affordability; iii) ensure supply of contraceptives; and iv) remove institutional barriers to family planning. A woman's ability to determine when and whether to have a child is essential in the health and development of any nation and its people. The number of adolescents continues to grow rapidly and stronger efforts to increase access to reproductive health care among African youth are therefore urgently required.