My Sexual Health and Rights Elevator Pitch

The period of adolescence (10–19 years old, with ‘youth’ defined as up to 24 years) represents a critical window of opportunity when young people are learning to make independent decisions and forming their own attitudes and beliefs. However, the period of adolescence is also a time of vulnerability and many adolescents experience threats to their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Early and forced sex; child, early and forced marriage; other forms of harmful traditional practices and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) are common among adolescents, particularly girls, in low and middle income countries. ​

Our approach seeks to promote positive adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights outcomes by addressing the multi-level and interrelated drivers of poor sexual and reproductive health and rights among adolescents. The approach includes a set of gender-transformative and evidence-based interventions (which should be tailored to the age and life-stage of the adolescents and to diverse contexts) to be implemented at each level of the socio-ecological model: with adolescents, parents, families and communities, at health systems level and at the policy level. ​