Africa-Press – Uganda. The youth of the East African region stand to benefit from the East Africa Community (EAC) Sexual and Reproductive Health Bill once passed into law.
Key in the draft proposal is that girls who get pregnant can automatically return to school.
‘‘Under Clause 12 of the Bill, an adolescent girl or young woman who becomes pregnant, before completing her education, shall be given the opportunity with appropriate facilities, within a reasonable period after delivery, to continue with her education,” the Bill states.
Under clause 13, each partner state shall establish menstrual health spaces that are clean, dignified and safe in schools and other public facilities.
“East African youth will have access to dignified menstrual hygiene products and services with a range of choice between disposals and washable towels provided,” the draft reads in part.
The Bill further demands access to soap and water for hygiene and sanitation in public places and availability of environmentally-sound facilities for disposal of sanitary towels and other menstrual health products.
Credible Information
Under the draft, the East African youth shall have access to credible and accurate information of sexual reproductive health that is free from bias, stigma and myths.
‘‘Clause 9 of the Bill requires every young person to access safe, effective, non-judgmental and acceptable age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health information, education and services,’’ the proposal adds.
On the recognisation of rights, the youth living with disabilities will not be excluded from health services and information about their bodies. Clause 15 demands that health facilities include appropriate infrastructure.
Outlaw harmful practices
On the fight against under-age marriage and other harmful practices, Clause 22 of the Bill punishes the evil act of forcing or coercing a child to enter into a child marriage or betrothal.
Under this, the youth in the region will not be discriminated against based on age. Similarly, the Bill demands that all states protect adolescents from sexual exploitation and abuse online platform.
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