The nexus between COVID-19 and sexual and reproductive health of adolescents: Bringing adolescents ‘home’

Abstract

The devastating impact of the COVID-19 virus is well-documented. The disease was less severe among young people than in the older population. The effect on adolescents was primarily due to government measures to curb the pandemic, including lockdowns that disrupted social, education, and health services and diverted resources away from sexual and reproductive health. Young people lost or had limited access to sexual and reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education. They experienced the loss of financial and emotional support and parental care because of sick adults and caregivers. Young persons also lost time with friends and in developmental tasks associated with adolescence, such as exploring intimate relationships and forming identities outside the home. Government-imposed lockdowns and isolation measures revealed how being home can be problematic for young people, despite the concept of ‘home’ suggesting safety, security, and nurturance. Of particular concern were sexual and gender-based violence in the home and the increase in teenage pregnancies. In this chapter, we engage with the notion of home and how all institutions with which the adolescent interacts, especially family and school, should be a ‘home’: A place of belonging and acceptance because adolescence is a critical time for the emergence of sexual identity