Kenyan Activist: Young People Need Legal Protection for SRHR

Across Africa, young people are being told that their sexual and reproductive health and rights matter. But for many, accessing those rights remains a daily struggle. Progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) has been made by governments and health systems, but this progress is not equal. Many adolescents, particularly girls and young women, still face obstacles to accessing the information, services, and legal protection they need to make informed choices regarding their bodies and futures. Fear of being stigmatized and concerns about confidentiality and who to go to for help can also be reasons why young people are not able to access sexual and reproductive health information and services when they need them. Millions are still being affected by preventable risks, such as new HIV infections, early pregnancies , child marriage, gender-based violence, and period poverty. The gap between the rights that are promised on paper and the rights that are experienced in everyday life is further exacerbated by the fact that access to contraception, HIV prevention, comprehensive sexuality education, and youth-friendly health services remains a challenge for many. Young people are increasingly demanding that this gap be taken seriously. They are calling for better access to sexual and reproductive health services and for comprehensive sexual and reproductive education in schools and health centres, free of stigma and shame. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Kenyan HIV and SRHR activist Jerop Limo said that closing that gap means moving beyond simply talking about young people and giving them a meaningful role in designing, implementing and holding health systems accountable. "The reality is that we have made progress, but that progress is not being experienced equally by young people," Limo said. "We have more knowledge, more HIV prevention options, more conversations around SRHR, and stronger recognition of young people's leadership. But for many adolescent girls and young women, especially those living in poverty or in underserved communities, the ability to actually benefit from these advances remains a dream." She said the biggest gap lies between what exists on paper and what young people experience in their everyday lives. She said policies, guidelines and new technologies mean little if a young woman cannot get accurate information, afford transport to a facility, or find a service in stock, or if she encounters stigma from a provider or fears being judged. Limo warned against treating young people as a single group. Their realities, she said, are shaped by where they live, their economic circumstances, disability, gender, HIV status, relationships, and many other factors. She added that the response has to be much more community-centered and responsive to those different realities. Limo's own experience with HIV shaped her path into adolescent health advocacy. She began working in the HIV response eight years ago as a facility peer educator. As a young person living with HIV, she quickly discovered that access to treatment was only one part of what young people needed. Young people were also grappling with adherence, disclosure, fear, grief, relationships and self-worth, and with the question of what life could look like beyond an HIV diagnosis. Her work has since taken her beyond Kenya and onto the global stage. In 2025, Limo was recognised by the Gates Foundation's Goalkeepers community for her leadership in HIV and youth reproductive health. But she said the recognition is not hers alone. It belongs to the young people who have shared their experiences with her and the peer educators working in health centres every day. The platform, she said, allows her to carry their everyday priorities directly to global decision-makers. One of the biggest lessons she has learnt is that young people do not need adults to constantly tell them what their problems are or what solutions they need. They