As efforts are being made globally to ensure a safer reproductive health system, a nongovernmental organisation, Initiative to Resist Institutional Slavery and Exploitation (IRISE) has highlighted that some social factors militating against safe abortion include stigmatisation, cultural and religious considerations, need for male involvement in health decisions, economic barriers affecting access to services, information accessibility challenges and legal misunderstanding.

They made these known during a stakeholders’ meeting to find solutions to unsafe abortion practices which are destroying not just the youth but also women of reproductive age.

This much was revealed at a stakeholders’ meeting convened by IRISE in Lagos on November 23. Some of the advocacy goals include improving awareness and understanding of SRHR, reducing stigma and misconceptions around safe abortion and increasing access to safe abortion and SRHR resources through local partnerships.

Leading to the meeting was a survey conducted in October, 2024 aimed to understand community specific factors affecting Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), and the impact of unsafe abortion practices in Oshodi-Isolo.

According to Charles Christopher, a Reproductive Health expert, speaking on current situation in the community, interviewed disclosed that 70 per cent of community members are aware of pregnancy termination, but only 45 per cent know about safe medical options.

He said 80 per cent acknowledge health risks of unsafe practices, while 50 per cent cite financial barriers to accessing proper care. Speaking on the information gap he stated that only 40 per cent have received formal health education from qualified professionals, 85 per cent express strong interest in receiving more health information.

He also maintained that there is a limited awareness of available local services, adding that some common unsafe practices, according to the findings, include Local herbs 60 per cent; unregistered pills 45 per cent; and unlicensed providers 20 per cent.

Common risks identified in the survey include severe bleeding 55 per cent; infections 50 per cent; long term health complications 45 per cent and fatal outcomes 65 per cent and Impact, 50 per cent knew of at least one person who died from complications of unsafe abortion. For ARISE the findings revealed significant gaps in SRHR knowledge and access, exacerbated by stigma and socioeconomic barriers.

SRHR’s advocacy aims to address these through community engagements and improved access to services, hence the stakeholders’ meeting. “We invite stakeholders to collaborate with IRISE in implementing these initiatives and ensuring safer reproductive health practices in Oshodi-Isolo.

Executive Director of IRISE, Omodele Ibitoye Ejeh said the need for stakeholders’ engagement in advancing sexual reproductive health of women and girls in communities is very important because women can’t do it alone. “We actually need a support system that is not just among women themselves, but between the communities.

The stakeholders are in the community, they hold the community, and if the stakeholders are involved in protection of women and girls, if they are involved in making sure that women and girls have access to safe services and there are policies that can protect women and girls, I think the journey would be easier.

“So it is not a do alone thing for women and girls, it is important for stakeholders and community members especially the men allies to actually have a hand in protecting women and girls,” Ejeh said. She also spoke on the choice of Okota for the stakeholders’ engagement.

“We actually looked out for communities where we have a high rate of lack of education around sexual reproductive health and right, and we carried out surveys and our findings are that it was much higher in places like Okota and Ajeromi Ifelodun.

So these are the places we carried out this survey, we are really focusing on Oshodi-Isolo right now, and we hope to actually expand the scope of our work. With this engagement a lot can be done, churches, mosques, communities at large, we health workers have a lot to do also.”

Mrs Saidat Shoetan, a Community Nurse and Health Worker, decried the level of decadence prevalent in the state as children of about 16, 17 years seek unsafe abortion services.

She narrates how young people also seek abortions on their own , and she seeks for community and Government support and policies to enable community health workers to act as reference for safe SRHR services .

She said the girl-child fell into the wrong hands because of peer pressure and economic difficulty. “They are very small in age and they don’t even have experience, but they fall into the wrong hands, just because of peer pressure, economic hardship and lack of proper parental care.

Shittu Isiaka, resident of Okota Ward, Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), a Councillorship aspirant, said “IRISE has always been a household name even in our community, they always come up with programmes to sensitise the youth, encourage abstinence, and end to unhealthy abortions which usually lead to death of young girls and adolescents.”

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