| dc.description.abstract | The study examined the extent to which Social and Gender Norms affect the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) of girls and young mothers in Buwenda in Busoga sub-region of Eastern Uganda. The study specifically identified the social and gender norms that are associated with SRHR and how they affect the utilization of SRH among girls and young mothers. The study as well identified the social, economic and cultural barriers hindering the realization of the right to SRHR of girls and young mothers and strategies that can be adopted to promote and protect the SRHR of these young people. The study was cross-sectional in design and it employed survey method where a questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from 102 (79 females and 23 males) adolescents who had randomly been selected from schools and community. While In-depth interviews, FGDs and KI interviews were used to collect qualitative data from young mothers, community and key informants concerned with issues related to SRHR of adolescents. The study was guided by two feminist theories (Radical and liberal feminist).
The findings indicated that the common social associated with SRHR violations included; the societal expectations that girls should remain virgin and pure until they are married off so as to bring dowry to the family. The same, social norms discourage open discussions about sexuality with the young people with fear of encouraging immorality but in contradiction again, these social norms suggest that women and girls should produce children in order to earn respect in the society, this often encourages these sexually active but ignorant girls become mothers at a young age with notion of earning societal respect. However, if a girl becomes a mothers at a young age before marriage the social norms are considers them as a waste, cursed and shame to the family, since they may not earn the family any dowry after giving birth while still at their father’s houses. With, many often face intimidations, ands stigma, something that discourages many from seeking for SRHR due to fear of being labeled as being immoral. This often leads to physical and psychological harm to them. On the hand, the common gender norms that are associated with SRHR violations were mostly related discriminatory practices, for instance, gender norms put a strong preference in a boy child than a girl child, hence neglecting girls, putting investment in their health and education unlike boys, with notion that they get married and join another family. Gender norms also gender norms prioritizes early marriage for girls, this can result in violations SRHR. This disempowers them when it comes to SRH, due to ignorance. Gender norms also dictates that household chores and unpaid care chores are to be performed by girls. This leaves them with little or no time to go and seek for SRH information & services, hence vulnerable to SRHR violations. Gender norms also position women and girls as subordinate to men hence this can lead to limited decision-making power regarding their sexual and reproductive health. Gender norms dictates that girls should not get inheritance, hence they have little access to resources that can help them seek for/improve on their health/SRH.
Apart from the above, the findings also indicated that socio-economic factors such as poverty in households were key barriers to realization of SRHR. This is because many girls are forced into early marriage because of economic constraints. This does not only violates their SRHR but also diminishes the chances of achieving their future dreams in terms of social, economic and political participation due to illiteracy and ignorance about opportunities since many tend to dropout and never re-enters back. However, strategies were suggested to promote SRHR of girls and young mothers, these included; policy reforms and advocacy, Behavior Change and Communication (BCC) for adolescents, empowering the youths through hands-on trainings, resource mobilization, research on issues that affect the adolescents, improving on the adolescent friendly services, straightening monitoring and evaluation of SRH services for adolescents as well as adopting the multi-sectorial approach to solve SRHR that affect adolescents but above all better mechanisms need to be devised in order to implement each and every policy that is passed by the law makers. Based on the above findings, the study recommended for action to be undertaken by the government and other concerned duty bearers in order to promote and protect the realization of SRHR of girls and young mothers, not only in Buwenda sub-county in Jinja district but across the country. | en_US |
