Addressing Gender Health Inequity: Bridging the Gap in Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights for Young Girls

Adolescent girls are an age group that is very vulnerable to injustice in obtaining their reproductive rights. Marital status determines the type of contraceptive services that can be provided to women. Sexually active adolescent girls will receive a negative stigma when requesting contraceptive services at health facilities. The providers’ attitudes tended to be judgmental and considered teenage girls to be naughty children. There is a perception that if adolescent girls are provided with contraceptive services, it appears as if health workers support premarital sexual behavior. The main problem related to injustice in fulfilling the reproductive rights of adolescent girls includes unsafe abortion due to an unmet need for birth control services. Most unsafe abortions are triggered by unwanted pregnancies due to limited access to contraceptive services for adolescent girls. Lack of knowledge, economic dependence on parents, as well as different policies in each area regarding sexual and reproductive health services for adolescent girls. Another problem is intimate partner violence (IPV), which has a serious impact on the health and well-being of adolescent girls in the future. Efforts that can be offered are to review policies related to reproductive and sexual health services for adolescents through prevention and promotion efforts. Cross-program and cross-sector collaboration is needed to obtain optimal results.