Durban – The National Assembly House chairperson for committees, oversight and ICT, Cedric Frolick, says the power and influence that young people have in being advocates for change regarding lifestyle choices and dealing with HIV and Aids must not be underestimated.
Frolick was speaking at an intergenerational dialogue facilitated by UNAIDS, in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education and supported by the South African National AIDS Council.
The dialogue was also attended by learners and students from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape to discuss the importance of advocacy in dealing with HIV/AIDS.
The purpose of the dialogue was to boost the visibility of the Education Plus Initiative (EPI) by amplifying the voices of young women and youth with an emphasis on capacity building.
“HIV/AIDS is still part of the challenges that we face in the country and especially among young people. So today we bring together parliamentarians from the committees on Health, Basic Education and Higher Education and Innovation so that MPs and other stakeholders especially the youth can engage directly on where we are in fighting HIV/Aids and also what further needs to be done,” said Frolick.
The dialogue revealed that learners in South Africa have various barriers to quality education that they faced in the schooling environment which includes lack of access to menstrual health services, no access to contraceptives or being forced to take contraceptives without proper explanation of the side effects and related risks among others.