SRHR in the context of COVID-19: The sad story of adolescent girls and young women in resource-constrained communities of Zimbabwe

Abstract

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW)’s access to sexual reproductive health services is a topical issue in Zimbabwe. The 15-24 age group is less protected from sexual and reproductive health risk factors which include among others: early and forced marriages, early pregnancies, school dropouts and sexual and gender-based violence. A qualitative study was done in three resource-constrained communities aiming at assessing AGYW’s access to SRHR services during the COVID-19 era so as to inform policy. The objectives were to examine the availability of SRHR services to AGYW during the COVID-19 lockdowns, unearth the challenges experienced in trying to get access and recommend strategies that can be adopted in disseminating SRHR services to the target group in poor communities during disastrous situations. The study was conducted between May and June 2020 in Mutare, Chipinge and Masvingo rural areas where two wards were chosen per area. Four focus group discussions were conducted per area. Each focus group comprised of ten participants. Two groups per area comprised of 15-19-year-olds and the other two comprised of 20 -24-year-olds. A sample of 120 young women was drawn using purposive sampling. Thematic data analysis was utilised and six key themes emerged. These included that SRHR services were unavailable, the lockdowns restricted AGYW’s movements in search of SRHR services; adolescents could not freely communicate their need for such services with adults; SGBV cases escalated, health institutions prioritised COVID-19 issues to the neglect of all other issues and the government did not priorities many organisations offering such services. Conclusively, movement restrictions posed by COVID 19 pandemic further exacerbates the challenges experienced by AGYW in accessing SRHR services as the government less prioritised these issues. The findings of this study recommended strategies that can be adopted by policymakers and other stakeholders in trying to value SRHR of AGYW even in pandemic situations.