Key normative, legal, and policy considerations for supporting pregnant and postpartum adolescents in high HIV-burden settings: a critical analysis

Rates of adolescent pregnancy within sub-Saharan Africa are increasing. Adolescent mothers ages 10-19 years face a distinct set of risks to their own and their children's health, compounded by many economic, social, and epidemiological challenges, such as living with HIV. In navigating this complex developmental period, many adolescent mothers face structural barriers impeding safe transitions to adulthood and motherhood. Drawing on existing literature and emerging data, we outline three normative, legal, and policy issues - violence and gender inequity, access to sexual and reproductive health services, and access to social and structural supports - which affect the health, wellbeing and development of adolescent mothers and their children. We also highlight emergent evidence about programming and policy changes that can better support adolescent mothers and their children. These key proposed responses include removing barriers to SRH and HIV service integration; ensuring implementation of return-to-school policies; and extending social protection systems to cater for adolescent mothers. Despite ongoing global crises and shifts in funding priorities, these normative, legal, and policy considerations remain critical to safeguard the health and wellbeing of adolescent mothers and their children

Age of consent: A case for harmonizing laws and policies to advance, promote and protect adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health rights

The article assesses the legal and policy frameworks that have an impact on adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health rights(ASRHR) in East and Southern Africa (ESA), confirming the interconnectedness of the ages of consent to sexual activity, marriage,and services and its influence on adolescents’ human rights. It reviews international, continental and national legal instrumentsused to identify relevant provisions on ASRHR in the ESA region. The region demonstrates substantial disparities between realitiesof sexual debut among adolescents, national (statutory and customary) laws and policies on ages of consent to sex, marriage andmedical services, and international standards around these SRHR issues. These disparities constitute negative consequences: criminalising adolescents, entrenching child marriage, and excluding adolescents from accessing medical services required to secure and promote ASRHR. While some ESA countries lack clear laws and policies on the three issues, cases of internal contradictions and disharmony with international standards abound. This impacts on the full realization of sexual and reproductive health rights of adolescents and young people in the region. Keywords: Adolescents, age of consent, East and Southern Africa, public health, sexual and reproductive health rightsL’article évalue les cadres juridiques et politiques qui ont un impact sur les droits des adolescents en matière de santé sexuelle etgénésique (ASRHR) en Afrique de l’Est et australe (ESA), confirmant l’interconnexion de l’âge du consentement à l’activité sexuelle, au mariage et aux services et son influence sur les droits de l’homme des adolescents. Il passe en revue les instruments juridiques internationaux, continentaux et nationaux utilisés pour identifier les dispositions pertinentes sur l’ASRHR dans la région de l’ESA. La région présente d’importantes disparités entre les réalités des débuts sexuels chez les adolescents, les lois et politiques nationales (légales et coutumières) sur l’âge du consentement au sexe, au mariage et aux services médicaux, et les normes internationales relatives à ces questions liées à la RSR. Ces disparités ont des conséquences négatives : criminalisation des adolescents, enchâssement du mariage des enfants et exclusion des adolescents de l’accès aux services médicaux nécessaires à la sécurisation et à la promotion de l’ASRHR. Alors que certains pays de l’ESA ne disposent pas de lois et de politiques claires sur ces trois questions, les cas de  contradictions internes et de discorde avec les normes internationales abondent. Cela a un impact sur la pleine réalisation des droits sexuels et génésique en matière de santé des adolescents et des jeunes de la région. Mots-clés: Adolescents, âge du consentement, afrique de l’est et australe, santé publique, droits en matière de santé sexuelle etgénésiqu

Age of consent : a case for harmonizing laws and policies to advance, promote and protect adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health rights

The article assesses the legal and policy frameworks that have an impact on adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health rights (ASRHR) in East and Southern Africa (ESA), confirming the interconnectedness of the ages of consent to sexual activity, marriage, and services and its influence on adolescents’ human rights. It reviews international, continental and national legal instruments used to identify relevant provisions on ASRHR in the ESA region. The region demonstrates substantial disparities between realities of sexual debut among adolescents, national (statutory and customary) laws and policies on ages of consent to sex, marriage and medical services, and international standards around these SRHR issues. These disparities constitute negative consequences: criminalising adolescents, entrenching child marriage, and excluding adolescents from accessing medical services required to secure and promote ASRHR. While some ESA countries lack clear laws and policies on the three issues, cases of internal contradictions and disharmony with international standards abound. This impacts on the full realization of sexual and reproductive health rights of adolescents and young people in the region.L’article évalue les cadres juridiques et politiques qui ont un impact sur les droits des adolescents en matière de santé sexuelle et génésique (ASRHR) en Afrique de l’Est et australe (ESA), confirmant l’interconnexion de l’âge du consentement à l’activité sexuelle, au mariage et aux services et son influence sur les droits de l’homme des adolescents. Il passe en revue les instruments juridiques internationaux, continentaux et nationaux utilisés pour identifier les dispositions pertinentes sur l’ASRHR dans la région de l’ESA. La région présente d’importantes disparités entre les réalités des débuts sexuels chez les adolescents, les lois et politiques nationales (légales et coutumières) sur l’âge du consentement au sexe, au mariage et aux services médicaux, et les normes internationales relatives à ces questions liées à la RSR. Ces disparités ont des conséquences négatives : criminalisation des adolescents, enchâssement du mariage des enfants et exclusion des adolescents de l’accès aux services médicaux nécessaires à la sécurisation et à la promotion de l’ASRHR. Alors que certains pays de l’ESA ne disposent pas de lois et de politiques claires sur ces trois questions, les cas de contradictions internes et de discorde avec les normes internationales abondent. Cela a un impact sur la pleine réalisation des droits sexuels et génésique en matière de santé des adolescents et des jeunes de la région.The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for the Safeguard Young People Programme.https://journals.co.za/journal/ajrham2022Centre for Child La

Nitric oxide photorelease from hydrogels and from skin containing a nitro-ruthenium complex

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous molecule that has specific functions dictated by its localization and its kinetics of release. As NO-donors have a range of potential uses in the skin, much attention has been paid to the development of topical NO delivery systems. The aim of this work was to study the release rate and the skin penetration of the NO-donor cis[Ru(NO(2))(bpy)(2)(4-pic)](+) from different gel formulations and their potential as topical NO delivery systems under light stimuli. Among the formulations developed, the anionic gel retarded the nitro-ruthenium complex diffusion and also obstructed NO release after light irradiation. On the other hand, NO release before light irradiation was observed when the complex was dispersed in the cationic chitosan gel, possibly due to oxi-redox reactions between the amino groups of the polymer and the drug molecule. Finally, the non-ionic gel released the NO after light irradiation to the same extent as a drug aqueous solution at the same pH. The drug dispersed in this gel also penetrated into the stratum corneum skin layer, and the nitro-ruthenium complex present in the skin was able to release the NO after light stimuli, suggesting the potential use of this formulation as a topical NO delivery system. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Tecnologico)FAPESP (Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo

Key normative, legal, and policy considerations for supporting pregnant and postpartum adolescents in high HIV-burden settings: a critical analysis

AbstractRates of adolescent pregnancy within sub-Saharan Africa are increasing. Adolescent mothers ages 10–19 years face a distinct set of risks to their own and their children’s health, compounded by many economic, social, and epidemiological challenges, such as living with HIV. In navigating this complex developmental period, many adolescent mothers face structural barriers impeding safe transitions to adulthood and motherhood. Drawing on existing literature and emerging data, we outline three normative, legal, and policy issues – violence and gender inequity, access to sexual and reproductive health services, and access to social and structural supports – which affect the health, wellbeing and development of adolescent mothers and their children. We also highlight emergent evidence about programming and policy changes that can better support adolescent mothers and their children. These key proposed responses include removing barriers to SRH and HIV service integration; ensuring implementation of return-to-school policies; and extending social protection systems to cater for adolescent mothers. Despite ongoing global crises and shifts in funding priorities, these normative, legal, and policy considerations remain critical to safeguard the health and wellbeing of adolescent mothers and their children