Invest in girls’ education and health rights to end AIDS

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Today, we mark the International Day of the African Child under challenging circumstances, with our communities and countries facing multiple crises.

While we have made several strides, numerous barriers still prevent all African children from attaining their rights and living full, productive lives. Inequalities persist, and structural issues continue to underscore the persistent hurdles across social, economic, and cultural spheres.

Despite the progress of recent decades, an estimated 58% of upper secondary-level age children in sub-Saharan Africa do not attend school. The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report 2023 indicates that between 2015 and 2021, the out-of-school population in sub-Saharan Africa increased by 12 million. Less than half of adolescent girls’ complete secondary education, with the percentage standing at 42%.

While Uganda has achieved gender parity in primary education enrollment, gender disparities have persisted in secondary school enrolment and completion. Compared to boys (36%), the enrollment rate for girls in secondary is much lower at 23%. Additionally, completion rates of secondary education among girls (34%) and transition to higher levels of learning (21%) are below 50%.

These low levels of access to and completion of secondary education were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, its socio-economic impact, and the surge in violence against girls. Many countries in the region, including Uganda, recorded high numbers of sexual violence, teenage pregnancies, and subsequent school dropout rates.

According to the Education Management Information System, teenage pregnancies accounted for 40 % of Ugandan girls’ school dropout at national level and early marriages at 28%. The Uganda Demographic and Health Survey report (2016) indicated that 34% of women aged 18-22 married before the age of 18. One in four girls beyond 15 years would have had a child.

These grim statistics represent the lives of girls whose potential is denied and their futures diverted. Many will never return to school, relegating their economic participation to low-paying jobs and perpetuating a cycle of poverty for their children. Keeping girls in school is a critical challenge of our time, requiring urgent recommitment and investment. Education is also a key strategy to combat the high HIV infection rates among adolescent girls and young women.

Despite substantial declines in new HIV infections globally, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to disproportionately impact adolescent girls and young women in many countries, and Africa remains the epicentre.

In 2022, there were 3,100 new weekly infections among adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years in sub-Saharan Africa. Bringing it home, out of 52,000 new HIV infections that occurred in 2022, 20,000 were among the adolescent and young people, 15,000 were adolescent girls representing four in five of the infections which contributes 36% of the new infections registered per year.

The costs of inaction on low secondary school enrolment and high rates of HIV in adolescent girls and young women remain significant, only counted in terms of the harmful impacts on girls’ lives but in how they undermine prospects for poverty eradication and the well-being and resilience of families, communities, societies and national economies.

Our evidence shows that when you keep a girl in secondary school, you can reduce her risk of HIV by up to 50% in some countries. Education is a protective factor against child and early marriage, unwanted teenage pregnancies, violence, and gender-related stigma and discrimination. If all girls complete secondary education, adolescent pregnancy could be cut by 75%, and early marriage could be virtually eliminated.

It's commendable that the African Union has designated 2024 as the year to focus on education for the continent. We have observed progress in national strategies aimed at increasing secondary completion rates and addressing gender disparity and discrimination in education notably, the National Strategy to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy and the National Plan of Action for Sexual and gender Based Violence Against Children.

We must not fail our young people. We must invest in their lives and protect their rights. Leaders at all levels need to address the intersecting marginalizations that prevent girls, young women, children from impoverished backgrounds, children with disabilities, and displaced children from realizing their right to education.

Five UN agencies – UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women - are working with governments, the African Union, civil society, women and girls’ networks and development partners, through the Education Plus Initiative to make deliberate efforts to invest in adolescent girls' education and school-to-work transition programs to reduce their risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS and secure economically independent futures. With 15 champion countries committing to the initiative, it is an opportune time as we see the rise of anti-rights forces attempting to erode girls and women’s rights.

We continue to work with all leaders to equip adolescents and young people with the knowledge, skills and power to make decisions about their own bodies and futures, free from coercion and discrimination. It's time to invest in health education and sexuality education. Leaders must commit greater investments and reform policies around secondary education and vocational training to ensure millions of girls and young women overcome persistent disparities in education and the world of work.

There is a strong evidence base demonstrating that the Education interventions are cost-effective. The benefits realized by keeping girls in school is significant, estimated at an aggregate value of $901,751,447; $184,204,552 from Productivity Gains. Investment in keeping girls in school will translate to $ 19.69 per capita by 2030 and we envision a future where new HIV infections, teenage pregnancies, Gender Based violence, early marriages and poverty levels among AGYW can be reduced to zero by 2040.

Investing in education is a crucial strategy for ending poverty, gender inequalities, and AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. This Day of the African Child let’s reaffirm efforts to protect the rights of all children and provide an education that paves the way for a successful, healthy future.

Co-authored by

UN Resident Coordinator Susan Namondo and Jacqueline Makokha UNAIDS Country Director