The United Nations Population Fund with partners created an online platform where young people can access age-appropriate and accurate sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information.
UNFPA Namibia’s country representative Sheila Roseau said the TuneMe app is accessible in Namibia and can be accessed on TuneMe.org. Roseau shared this at the celebration of the International Day of the Girl at Eros Girls School in Windhoek under the theme Digital Generation, Our Generation.
International Day of the Girl (11 October) celebrates the importance, power, and potential of girls around the world. It is also a day to highlight girls’ needs and the particular problems they can face, and drive efforts that meet these needs and fulfil their rights – not benevolently for them but in partnership with them.
“Girls know their digital realities and the solutions they need to excel on their diverse pathways as technologists for freedom of expression, joy, and boundless potential,” she noted.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how quickly inequalities can multiply: Under school closures, girls who lack access to the internet have seen losses in education, health information and care.
Roseau urged amplifying the diversity of these tech trailblazers while simultaneously widening the pathways so that every girl, regardless of race, gender, language, ability, economic status and geographic origin – lives their full potential.
“Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years but also as they mature into women.
If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world both as the empowered girls of today and tomorrow’s leaders,” Roseau observed.
She added: “Girls who are denied education face a higher risk of being married off against their will. The realisation of many rights is increasingly predicated on digital access, which can help girls find information, connect with peers, build social movements, explore their identities, track their periods and find help for harassment or violence.”
The pandemic has accelerated digital platforms for learning, earning and connecting, while also highlighting girls’ diverse digital realities.
On the same occasion, regional school counsellor Valerie Tjirimuje said Generation Z need to be extra careful when engaging on the internet as it may be one of the causes of anxiety.
“A lot of challenges and opportunities come with being born in this era. This is a generation within a digital era and Generation Z are two times more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety as a result of the digital space,” stated Tjirimuje.
She advised the learners in attendance to always talk to people when faced with difficulties and use social media platforms meaningfully.
Tjirimuje said: “When online, engage in deep learning and apply it strategically. Know who you are engaging with. We need to be involved in positive engagement, building towards personal growth and enrichment.”
- psiririka@nepc.com.na