Street youths: reproductive health risk status, reproductive health challenges and barriers to health services utilization in a southwestern City, Nigeria

Background Information: According to the United Nations, about 150 million youth spent most of their time on the street, or better still, homeless. This is becoming a global phenomenon and majority of this vulnerable people live in large cities and urban areas of developing countries. Street youths are among the high risk, insecure and vulnerable groups who are often exposed to various forms of abuses and diseases, including reproductive health issues. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among street youths in Ikorodu Local Government, Lagos State using a multi staged sampling technique. Frequency tables were drawn at the univariate level, chi squared was used to test for association between socio-demographic characteristics and sexual risk level. Data was analyzed using SPPSS version 22, p value was set at 0.05 Results: Almost half 48(48.5%) of the respondents were between the age range 20-24years and two third 61(61.6%) of them were female and 27(27.3%) had up to senior secondary education attainments. Majority 73(73.7%) of them have been on the street for more than 3months and 32 (32.3%) professed that the reason they were on the street was to search for job while 25 (25.3%) because of family disharmony among parents. Eighty-six (86.9%) of the respondents were sexually active, 31 (36.0%) of which have more than four sexual partners. Duration of stay on the street and their educational status were determinants of risky sexual behavior and polygamous setting was found to be statistically significant (p value =0.035) with reproductive health challenges. Conclusion: There is high risk sexual practice among street youths in Ikorodu Local Government. Strategic interventions aimed at minimizing sexual risky behaviors among street youths should focus on reducing the duration of stay on the street as well as increasing access to contraception

Implementation of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in public and private schools in three districts of Uganda

The study was grounded in the recent developments of implementing the United Nations Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in schools in Uganda, leading to a renewed interest in the questionings about inclusive education. Objectives: The inclusive approach was evaluated in terms of: (1) how public or private schools in Uganda understand inclusive education; (2) how schools implement inclusive education under the influence of the UN Convention; and (3) what determines the course of action and school routine of private and state schools. Methods: This exploratory qualitative research included interviews with six schools purposively selected in Mukono, Wakiso and Kampala districts of Central Uganda. The selected schools comprised three private and three state schools (i.e. representing primary and secondary schools and a vocational training institute). Results: The research demonstrated that 'inclusive education practice' that was upheld by all the schools, was ironically stained with exclusion, for example, by non-admission of students with visual and hearing impairment, inaccessible physical environment, inadequate funding and separation of students according to abilities. However, whilst all schools followed the regular curriculum, some schools developed their own ways of teaching learners with diverse learning needs. Conclusion: Some schools in Uganda have developed meaningful approaches of including students with disabilities but there are still many challenges for many. Enforcing Uganda's disability policies adapted from the CRPDs could enable learners with disabilities to enjoy their legal rights. Contribution: Since the intention of inclusion of students with disabilities stands in contrast to the reality of practice found in many schools, there seems to be a need to carry out regular assessments and measures of support for a sustainable inclusive school development

Respect for Vulnerability is a Human Right: Article 8 of the UNESCO Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights; and Senior Citizens in South Africa

It is untrue that the elderly in South Africa (SA) are probably discriminated against in healthcare as the result of inadequate legislation that does not conform to international standards. The National Health Act recognises vulnerability and gives expression to it. Respect for vulnerability has not yet been introduced to fundamental political and bioethical frames of reference in SA and that is probably the reason why the concept and right have not become part of the ethical awareness in healthcare. The appeal of this article is that respect for vulnerability must be brought to conform to the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights by declaring the ethical principle as an independent human right

Protection of Children by Substitute Consent: A Universal Principle and Right

In 2005; the world community and the United Nations Educational; Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); comprising 191 member nations; unanimously accepted the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (UDBHR). This declaration is the first and only bioethical text to which the entire world has committed itself and helps put bioethics on the agenda of states. However; it appears to have had little or no impact in South Africa (SA). This article aims to join UNESCO's mission and to form part of the social responsibility initiative of teaching the universal right and the ethical principle of proxy consent in the context of medical intervention to promote the UDBHR in SA. We compare the UDBHR and SA Children's Act No. 38 of 2005. It is clear that the world community sees surrogate consent as the right and duty of all communities

Coordinating Health Care During Humanitarian Emergency:Experience From Pader District; Northern Uganda

Coordination of humanitarian assistance has been a subject of concern for several decades.The humanitarian reforms initiated by United Nations following UN General Assembly resolution 46/182 and the subsequent reforms that introduced the Cluster Approach to humanitarian assistance offers some opportunities for improved coordination. The main challenges to these reforms remain their acceptance among the humanitarian community; mainly NGOs; and donor faith in providing funding through the structures. We conclude that offering a comprehensive package to coordination encompassing joint humanitarian planning; policy; financing and monitoring of interventions is a step towards holistically addressing the needs of the crisis-affected people.There is also need for the UN to intensify dissemination of the humanitarian reforms to key stakeholders to improve their acceptance in the field

UN volunteers in the fight against AIDS : the Lesotho experience

Since October 1993; two United Nations volunteers have been working attached to the Health Education Division of the Ministry of Health in Lesotho. This experience has been extremely positive. The UN volunteers have participated actively in the work of the United Nations AIDS Task Force; and have even assisted NGOs in the production of health education material on AIDS and other relevant health programmes and compaigns

United Nations Learning Strategy on HIV/AIDS: building competence of the UN and its staff to respond to HIV/AIDS

This publication provides basic HIV/AIDS information which enable UN and its staff to have necessary knowledge and competence in order to better support national responses to HIV/AIDS and also to protect themselves against the epidemy by eliminating stigma and discrimination