Africa's Young Survivors

Serious changes are taking place in socio-political life of Algeria. The mass protest movement "Hirak", which began in 2019, after the country's president announced his decision to run for a fifth term, continues to these days. Despite his resignation, a prompt change of political leadership and elections to a new parliament, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in all cities of Algeria insist on further democratization and genuine modernization of socio-political and socio-economic structures, taking into account the interests and needs of young people. Indeed, more than half of the population of Algeria is under 30 years old, and unemployment among them reaches 24%. A distinctive tendency of the protest movement was the active participation of young people, which, according to the new leadership of the country, is the true real wealth of the state. Analysts note the awakening of collective consciousness in Algeria. Hirak's ability to make quick decisions during a pandemic shows that demonstrations are an instrument of extremely broad public momentum. Certain positive shifts towards changes have taken place - the president, who has been in power for 20 years, has resigned. However, the political situation can hardly be called stable. Including the majority of popular revolutionary protest actions in African countries ended with an immediate deepening of conservatism, the strengthening of traditionalism and the surge of radical Islamism. Probably, only in a fairly long-term perspective we can expect a real modernized stabilization of the socio-political situation, without which progressive economic development and its derivatives: an increase in the standard of living of the population and a decrease in unemployment are unrealizable.

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Barriers and motivators of contraceptive use among young people in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review of qualitative studies

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0252745 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0252745

Author(s):

Luchuo Engelbert Bain ◽

Hubert Amu ◽

Elvis Enowbeyang Tarkang

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Young People ◽

Contraceptive Use ◽

Negative Attitude ◽

Final Analysis ◽

Qualitative Studies ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

African Countries ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Barriers And Motivators

Background In sub-Saharan Africa, about 80% of young women either use a traditional method or do not use any form of contraception at all. The objectives of this review were to ascertain the barriers and motivators of contraceptive use among young people in Sub–Saharan Africa. Materials and methods We conducted electronic literature searches in PubMed, EMBASE, Ebsco/PsycINFO and Scopus. We identified a total of 4,457 publications and initially screened 2626 based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A total of 13 qualitative studies were retained for the final analysis based on the Joanna Briggs criteria for assessing qualitative studies. The systematic review is registered on PROSPERO with identifier CRD42018081877. Results Supportive social networks, respect for privacy and confidentiality, ready availability, affordability and accessibility of contraceptives, as well as the desire to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections were the motivators of contraceptive use among young people in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite these motivators, myriad of personal, societal, and health systems-based barriers including myths and misconceptions, known side effects of contraceptives, prohibitive social norms, and negative attitude of health professionals were the major barriers to contraceptive use among young people. Conclusion Sub-Saharan African countries with widespread barriers to contraceptive use among young people may not be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 target of achieving health for all by the year 2030. Interventions intended to improve contraceptive use need to be intersectoral and multi-layered, and designed to carefully integrate the personal, cultural, organizational and political dimensions of contraception.

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TIMING OF SEXUAL DEBUT AMONG UNMARRIED YOUTHS AGED 15–24 YEARS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Journal of Biosocial Science ◽

10.1017/s0021932017000098 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 161-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Joshua Amo-Adjei ◽

Derek Anamaale Tuoyire

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Young Women ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Sexual Debut ◽

Household Wealth ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

African Countries ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Female Headed Households ◽

The Impact

SummaryThis study aimed to contribute to the evidence on the timing of sexual debut in young people in sub-Saharan African countries. Data were extracted from 34 nationally representative surveys conducted in the region between 2006 and 2014. The study sample comprised unmarried women (n=167,932) and men (n=76,900) aged 15–24 years. Descriptive techniques and Cox proportional regression models were used to estimate the timing of sexual debut, and Kaplan–Meier hazard curves were used to describe the patterns of sexual debut in each country by sex. For the countries studied, sexual debut for both women and men occurred between the ages of 15 and 18 years, with median ages of 16 for women and 17 for men. Overall, education and household wealth provided significant protection against early sexual debut among women, but the reverse was found among men for wealth. Women in rural areas, in female-headed households and in Central, South and West Africa reported higher hazards of early commencement of sexual activity than their counterparts in urban, male-headed households and East Africa. However, the impact of these variables on male sexual debut did not follow a consistent pattern. Varied timing, as well as country-specific risk factors associated with sexual debut for young women and men across sub-Saharan Africa, were identified. Sexual health programmes and interventions for young people may require different approaches for young women and men.

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POPULATION DYNAMICS AND BIRTH SPACING IN OMAN

International Journal of Middle East Studies ◽

10.1017/s0020743809990560 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 123-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alasdair Drysdale

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Middle Eastern ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

University Graduates ◽

North African ◽

Childbearing Age ◽

African Countries ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Critical Problems ◽

North African Countries

Rapid population growth constitutes one of the most critical problems confronting many Middle Eastern and North African countries, placing incremental pressure on their finite water and other natural resources and challenging their abilities to grow sufficient food, accommodate school and university graduates with jobs, build adequate urban and rural infrastructures, contain rapid urbanization, and alleviate poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, and disease. More than one-third of the population is under the age of fifteen in a majority of countries and, thus, has yet to marry and reach reproductive age. As a result, in most places the number of women of childbearing age (fifteen to forty-nine) will more than double in the next thirty years. Because there are so many young people, by one estimate the region's economies would have to generate half as many additional jobs by 2010 as existed in 1996 to avoid an increase in already high unemployment rates, particularly among young adults. The growing bulge of unemployed young people has serious political ramifications for many Middle Eastern regimes, from Algeria to Saudi Arabia. These problems will likely get worse in the short term because of demographic momentum—the parents of the future have already been born.

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Discoursing Health Literacies for HIV/AIDS Education

Education Journal - Revue de l'éducation ◽

10.18192/ejre.v6i1.2064 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 16

Author(s):

Hembadoon Iyortyer Oguanobi

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Young People ◽

Aids Education ◽

African Countries ◽

Educational Tools ◽

Safe Spaces ◽

School Programs ◽

Aids Virus ◽

Embodied Experiences ◽

Hiv Aids

Health literacy is an important tool for HIV/AIDS education. It provides a space for students to use local literacy tools such as films, literature, and arts to explore ways of managing the HIV/AIDS virus in communities ravaged by the disease. HIV/AIDS affects the lives of millions of people in many African countries and requires a robust strategy by educators to tackle the epidemic and create safe spaces for students in schools and communities where young people face stigma and discrimination for having the virus, or living with people who have the virus. In this paper, the author discusses how students in some African countries respond to locally manufactured HIV literacy educational tools produced by members of the community. The author makes the case that it is important for schools to incorporate locally manufactured HIV/AIDS health literacy instruction into the curriculum; this would allow young people to engage with health literacies that are resonant of their embodied experiences. Keywords: Africa, discrimination, health literacies, HIV/AIDS, school programs

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Social and psychosexual problems of African adolescents

Journal of Biosocial Science ◽

10.1017/s0021932000024172 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 10 (S5) ◽

pp. 235-247 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

F. A. Sai

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Young People ◽

Age Distribution ◽

Economic Environment ◽

African Countries ◽

Children And Young People ◽

Black Africa ◽

Fertility Problems ◽

Future Population

The population of African countries, typical of developing countries, is characterized by the large proportion of children and young people. An almost perfect pyramid illustrates the age distribution of Ghana's population (Text-fig. 1).Projections of future population point to a further rise in the proportion of children (0–15 years of age) from the present 45% to 47–49% by the year 1980. The children of today will be the parents of tomorrow and for the adolescents the statement can be taken literally; the study of adolescents and their sexual and fertility problems, therefore, needs urgent attention. Especially in black Africa, these problems cannot be studied in isolation from the traditional, cultural and socio-economic environment. Indeed much of the psychosexual trauma of this group is closely interwoven with their complex backgrounds.

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Saving Sex for Marriage: An Analysis of Lay Attitudes Towards Virginity and its Perceived Benefit for Marriage

Sexuality & Culture ◽

10.1007/s12119-021-09909-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Emmanuel Olamijuwon ◽

Clifford Odimegwu

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Sexual Satisfaction ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Current Understanding ◽

Perceived Benefits ◽

African Countries ◽

Socially Constructed ◽

Perceived Benefit ◽

The Gift ◽

Using Data

AbstractHow do young people interpret virginity loss, and does saving sex for marriage have any socially constructed benefit for marriage? This study answers this question using data obtained from a peer-led Facebook group with more than 175,000 participants, mostly in African countries, particularly Nigeria. A reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze 100 public wall posts and 3860 comments posted on the group between June 2018 and May 2019. Four distinctive interpretations of virginity loss comprising the gift, precondition, stigma, and process emerged from the data. These interpretations were also gendered, such that a woman’s virginity was interpreted as a gift but a stigma for men. The wall posts and comments further suggest that saving sex for marriage may have some culturally sensitive benefits, including trust, and marital sexual satisfaction. Altogether the findings expand the current understanding of the diverse perceived benefits of virginity that move beyond honour and respect to more complex benefits like trust in a union, sexual satisfaction and ultimate satisfaction in marriage.

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