AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria has emphasized the importance of age-appropriate Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) to enhance health outcomes and protect children from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and abuse. Dr. Echey Ijezie, the Country Programme Director of AHF Nigeria, highlighted the benefits of CSE, including reducing early sexual engagement, fostering positive attitudes towards sexual and reproductive health issues, and equipping young individuals with knowledge to combat HIV, STIs, and unplanned pregnancies.
This call for age-appropriate CSE aligns with the organization’s commitment to addressing the increasing rates of new HIV infections and teenage pregnancies, emphasizing the urgent need to equip young people with proven tools, services, and information.
The International Day of the African Child (IDAC) serves as a platform to raise awareness and focus on the challenges faced by children in African countries in receiving quality education. AHF’s advocacy for age-appropriate CSE is part of its broader efforts to protect the rights and future of young people.
The organization’s commitment to fostering CSE is rooted in extensive global research, which underscores the positive impact of CSE in reducing risky behaviors, strengthening self-awareness, and challenging harmful gender norms.
In line with its advocacy, AHF Nigeria will host a consultative meeting with students, young people, and government officials to explore how CSE can foster health and education. The organization will also host a series of events under the theme “Fostering Health and Education.
Through Comprehensive Sexuality Education” as part of its ongoing “#Protect The Child” campaign. This initiative aims to underscore the crucial role that access to education, including Comprehensive Sexuality Education, plays in enhancing health outcomes for young people.
AHF’s emphasis on age-appropriate CSE is a response to the increasing rates of new HIV infections and teenage pregnancies, highlighting the urgent need to equip young people with proven tools, services, and information.
Research has shown that age-appropriate CSE can significantly reduce the incidence of HIV, STIs, Gender-Based Violence, and unplanned pregnancies among adolescents and young people.
The organization’s advocacy for age-appropriate CSE is part of its broader commitment to creating a safer and more informed environment for young people, addressing the challenges they face in accessing quality education and essential health information.
As AHF Nigeria continues its efforts to promote age-appropriate CSE, it aims to contribute to the overall well-being and empowerment of young people across the country.
