This multi-national and multi-disciplinary research team found that the current policy landscapes for adolescent contraception in Uganda and Kenya include important references to human rights and evidence-based practice (in WHO’s recommendations); however, there is still room for improvement. The research team concludes that aligning national laws and policies with WHO’s recommendations on contraceptive information and services for adolescents may support interventions to improve health outcomes, provided these frameworks are effectively implemented.

This is an analysis of the content of 26 Ugandan and Kenyan laws and policies in force between 2010 and 2018. The content of these documents was analyzed using WHO’s nine recommendations for how contraception information and services should be provided in line with human rights law: non-discrimination, availability, accessibility, acceptability, quality, informed decision-making, confidentiality, participation, accountability.

More about the role of law in adolescent contraception in Sub-Saharan Africa:

The unmet need for contraception among adolescents is high in Uganda and Kenya, and has many negative consequences, including potential rights violations, unwanted pregnancy, exposure to unsafe abortion, and maternal morbidity and mortality. National laws and policies play an important role in determining adolescents’ access to contraception. For example, national laws and policies can shape the government programs that provide (or withhold) contraception, and the social norms influencing adolescents’ access to contraception. Therefore, this research compares national laws and policies that determine access to contraception services and information for adolescents in Uganda and Kenya with WHO’s recommendations for access to contraception.

Perehudoff, K., Kibira, D., Wuyts, E., Pericas, C., Omwoha, J., van den Ham, H. A., Mantel-Teeuwisse, A. K., Michielsen, K.. A comparative human rights analysis of laws and policies for adolescent contraception in Uganda and Kenya. Reprod Health 19, 37 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01303-8