Addressing the sexual and reproductive health rights of young people: Introducing a human rights -based approach

This Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice knowledge brief focus on the key highlights, Adolescents and youth encounter many barriers to seeking health services. These include a lack of available confidential adolescent-responsive services, fear of being subjected to discriminatory behavior from health providers, needing permission from parents or guardians to seek services, the cost of health services, and encountering poor quality health services, among others. These barriers, which are often driven or exacerbated by restrictive policies and legislation, as well as conservative social and cultural norms, keep many from seeking health services, leading to low health service coverage rates and ultimately poorer health outcomes. Promoting a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to young people's sexual and reproductive health (SRH) aligns with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Using a HRBA demands that we find more effective ways to move out of thematic silos and focus on intersectoral interventions that address the multiple determinants of health.