NATIONAL AIDS Council director John Mwale says government should make it easy for women to access safe abortions.
Speaking when he appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Sexual Reproduction Health, Mwale said many women were dying because of unsafe abortions.
“There is need for government to look into the 1972 safe abortion Act.It needs to be reviewed because it hinders a lot of young women from accessing it,” Mwale said.
“Currently, we have high numbers of women and girls dying due to unsafe abortion. Our position as NAC is that must government review this Act and make it accessible for girls even in rural areas.”
And Mwale said NAC will not advocate for the distribution of condoms in secondary schools.
“We are not advocating for condoms to be distributed in schools. As an organization, we want to see learners being linked to health facilities in order for them to have maximum knowledge on HIV/AIDS. Our worry is health workers are discriminating learners from accessing health services such as condoms,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mwale revealed that 31.2 per cent of girls aged below 18 were early marriage victims.
“Early marriage continues to be a major challenge among girls below the age of 18. Currently, it is showing that HIV is also high among young girls,” said Mwale.