Youth in Machinga are calling on parliamentarians to prioritize the long-awaited Termination of Pregnancy Bill during the current session, aiming to safeguard the rights of women and girls in the district.

This plea follows concerning reports of post-abortion cases among the youth, with statistics revealing 430 cases in the first half of this year compared to 310 cases last year.

Prisca Masika, chairperson of the Traditional Authority (T/A) Kapoloma Youth Advocate, expressed that the delay in passing the Bill is forcing women and girls into unsafe abortion procedures, leading to severe complications. She made these remarks during a training session on access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) in the district.

Masika stated, “We should have the right to choose whether to continue with a pregnancy, especially when our rights are being violated or at risk. Delaying the passage of the Bill only drives us to use unsafe methods.”

Madalitso Peter, chairperson of the T/A Mizinga Youth Network, mentioned their plan to involve faith leaders, many of whom oppose the Bill. He added, “Last week, we lost a Standard Eight student who attempted an unsafe abortion. If the Bill had been enacted, this young girl’s life might have been saved.”

Kenneth Mkandawire, the district’s youth-friendly and health service coordinator, noted that their facility handles an average of 73 cases of complications from unsafe abortions each month.

Gertrude Kapyepye, youth programmes coordinator at the Malawi Sexual and Reproductive Health Alliance, said they expect the youth to actively engage with key stakeholders to push for policy changes following the training.

The Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education organized the meeting with support from Amplify Change through Access to Comprehensive SRHR.