In Tanzania, the sexual health of young girls is one of the biggest problems affecting their wellness. Many adolescent girls in the country report to feeling under threat wherever they go out. They report that they are on the receiving end of unwanted sexual advances when they are running errands, getting water or even when they go to school. Girls say that they feel under a great deal of pressure to give in to these advances, and that they are sometimes raped. Their wellbeing suffers in numerous ways, with some even avoiding going to school because they fear the advances that their teachers will make on them.
This worrying news means that girls aged between 12 and 17 in Tanzania are at greater risk of contracting the HIV virus. This is sadly not an isolated statistic; globally, girls are more likely to contract HIV than their male peers. Girls make up 60% of those who are aged between 15 and 24 and are living with the HIV virus.
At the heart of all this is the sad truth about gender inequalities in everyday life, and this is the case for many girls in different countries around the world. These harmful gender inequalities affect the mental and physical wellbeing of young girls, and thus is an important issue that needs to be addressed as a priority.
There are projects being put in place around the world to help young girls understand the world in which they are living, and the steps that they can take to help protect themselves. These programmes treat young girls as capable equals, who can address and define their own needs and help to protect themselves from HIV viruses at the same time. This is an inclusive process, where young girls work as youth researchers, who find out what the problems are in the community for themselves, and then help to think of the solutions.
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