Bridging the Digital Divide: Addressing Reproductive Health

​​In 2017, as part of the theme for the International Day of the Girl Child, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that “during crises, girls face intensified challenges to their sexual, reproductive health.1” Over the past 20 months, the world has been grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected many programs geared towards protecting women and girls. As we move forward and begin to recover from the effects of this pandemic, we must revisit and highlight this key message from the WHO to address development, safety, and health, particularly reproductive health of women and girls around the world.
 
Adolescent pregnancy (girls between 15-19 years old) is a global issue of public health concern and occurs at consistently higher rates in marginalized and socioeconomically challenged communities. As of January 2020, the WHO estimated that 21 million girls aged 15-19 years in developing regions become pregnant and 12 million give birth2. In these young mothers, pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading causes of death and adolescent girls are at a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications such as eclampsia and septic infections2. Additionally, due to the young age of the mothers and other social and cultural challenges they navigate as young mothers, newborns of adolescent girls are likely to have poor health outcomes.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these maternal health conditions, and the adverse impact of this pandemic is yet to be comprehended. A 2020 report by the United Nations Women highlights that over the past 12 months, “243 million women and girls aged 15-49 have been subjected to sexual and/or physical violence…3”. They estimated that these numbers are likely to increase as nations continue to implement public health measures and mandates to curb the rising rates of COVID-19 infection. While countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Argentina, and others transitioned to using online technology to ensure the protection of women and girls, several developing countries could not implement similar innovative solutions due to a lack of access to digital resources.
 
Following the commemoration of 2021 international day of the girl child theme, “Digital generation. Our generation,4” stakeholders, advocates, and leaders must recognize that in bridging the digital gap globally, it is necessary to:

• Ensure equitable access to technology and empower girls to learn how to use digital resources to stand up and speak out to mobilize action within their families and communities.
• Ensure girls have access to educational resources on reproductive health such as preventing sexually transmitted infections, contraceptives, PrEP, and more.
• Ensure that girls have the opportunity to engage with communities around the world to end violence against girls.
• Ensure girls have a safe space to share their experiences and how some policies directly impact their ability to live to their full potential.

By bridging the digital divide, we ensure that girls' voices are HEARD, and their health is at the center of the equity discussion. 

References:

1. International Day of the girl child 2017: empower girls. World Health Organization. (2017, October 11). Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/gender_rights/girls-international-day-2017/en/  
2. Adolescent pregnancy. World Health Organization. (2020, January 31). Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy  
3. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). (2020). (issue brief). COVID-19 and ending violence against women and girls (Ser. EVAW COVID-19 briefs, pp. 1–10). 
4. International Day of the girl child. United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.un.org/en/observances/girl-child-day       

By: Palmira Mangae

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