ABSTRACT
Adolescents make up a fifth of the world’s population, are the parents and workers of the next generation and yet only relatively recently has it been recognised by the global health sector that they have distinct and separate health care needs from those of adults, particularly in the area of sexual and reproductive health (Mngadi et al. 2008). Such inattention to their specific health needs leads to a range of negative outcomes, such as unwanted pregnancies, acquisition of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, and sexual violence. This is borne out by the reality that, worldwide, young people under the age of 25 experience the greatest burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the main cause of death amongst female adolescents is from unsafe abortions (Mngadi et al. 2008). The experience of poor sexual and reproductive health during adolescence can be long-lasting and often continues to impact young people’s lives well into their adulthood (Bayley 2003; Bearinger et al. 2007; Rani and Lule 2004).
