Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Change Is Possible, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Change Is Possible, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Reproductive Health
Changing long-standing cultural practices—even when such practices are harmful—is difficult, but the impressive success in reducing the acceptability and incidence of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in several settings shows it is possible. Research by FRONTIERS in Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, and Senegal has provided insight into the sociocultural and religious underpinnings of FGM/C and has identified approaches that, over time, have contributed to individual and community decisions to abandon the practice. This information can help reduce the risk of undergoing FGM/C faced by three million girls and women every year. This is one of eight Legacy Papers synthesizing …
Sexual Violence: Setting The Research Agenda For Kenya, Catherine Maternowska, Jill Keesbury, Nduku Kilonzo
Sexual Violence: Setting The Research Agenda For Kenya, Catherine Maternowska, Jill Keesbury, Nduku Kilonzo
Reproductive Health
This research agenda is the result of a stakeholders’ meeting held in Nairobi on June 11–12, 2008, that identified, developed, and prioritized areas for research on sexual violence in Kenya. The meeting was convened by the Population Council, Liverpool VCT, Care & Treatment, and the International Centre of Reproductive Health, Kenya. Kenya’s research agenda is premised on the need to generate the evidence required to impact policy formulation and services strengthening. Knowledge gaps that form the basis of key research areas identified include the need to: 1) Understand the nature, contexts, and prevalence of sexual violence; 2) Document and evaluate …
An Assessment Of Sexual And Gender Based Violence In Wajir District, North Eastern Kenya, Gladys K. Mwangi, Jaldesa Guyo
An Assessment Of Sexual And Gender Based Violence In Wajir District, North Eastern Kenya, Gladys K. Mwangi, Jaldesa Guyo
Reproductive Health
A 2006 baseline survey conducted by CARE Kenya indicated that sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is widespread throughout Kenya’s North Eastern Province. Other findings revealed that high levels of stigma and gender imbalances are associated with sexual violence and female genital mutilation (FGM) and that a coordinated approach to responding to the service needs of survivors is missing. As noted in this report, there is limited awareness of the legal mechanisms available to survivors. The Population Council’s study in Wajir District ascertained the need for and possible components of an integrated and comprehensive services model that could meet the needs …
Mainstreaming Emergency Contraception In Kenya: Final Project Report, Jill Keesbury, Wilson Liambila, Francis Obare, Paul Kuria
Mainstreaming Emergency Contraception In Kenya: Final Project Report, Jill Keesbury, Wilson Liambila, Francis Obare, Paul Kuria
Reproductive Health
For more than a decade, advocates have sought to improve access to emergency contraception (EC) around the world. These efforts have been highly successful in Europe and North America, have generated much debate in Latin America, and are beginning to take hold in Asia. In Africa, however, the success of EC programs remains limited. Even in countries where the regulatory environment is favorable, resource constraints within the public sector limit the ability to provide consistent and quality EC services at low cost. In a growing number of African countries, the private sector has emerged to fill these gaps, increasing access …
The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data To Identify And Reach The Most Vulnerable Young People—Kenya 2003, Population Council
The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data To Identify And Reach The Most Vulnerable Young People—Kenya 2003, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
“The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data to Identify and Reach the Most Vulnerable Young People: Kenya 2003” is part of a series of Population Council guides that draw principally on data from the Demographic and Health Surveys to provide decisionmakers at all levels—from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and advocacy groups—with evidence on the situation of adolescent girls and boys and young women aged 10–24 years. The data are presented in graphs, tables, and maps (wherever possible), providing multiple formats to make the information accessible to a range of audiences. Section I is the Foreword. Section II offers brief technical notes specific …
Female-Initiated Prevention: Integrating Female Condoms Into Hiv Risk-Reduction Activities In Kenya, Population Council, Liverpool Vct Care & Treatment
Female-Initiated Prevention: Integrating Female Condoms Into Hiv Risk-Reduction Activities In Kenya, Population Council, Liverpool Vct Care & Treatment
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Female Condom (FC) is the only female-initiated prevention product on the market today that provides simultaneous protection against STIs, including HIV, and unintended pregnancy. However, the FC remains limited in supply, not widely available, and underutilized in many settings. Improvements in FC programming are essential to achieve increased uptake and public health impact, and to pave the way for future women’s HIV prevention products. The Population Council’s Female-Initiated Prevention Methods project aimed to stimulate action and generate evidence around FC access through innovative program experimentation. The study was conducted to understand the challenges and opportunities these different access models …
Adolescent Girls Programming And Capacity-Building Workshop, Nairobi, Kenya, November 10-14, 2008: Workshop Report, Population Council
Adolescent Girls Programming And Capacity-Building Workshop, Nairobi, Kenya, November 10-14, 2008: Workshop Report, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Around the world, adolescent girls are disadvantaged by age and gender. Many are denied the skills and resources to protect and advance themselves. Adolescent girls are even more vulnerable to exploitive work, abuse, and limiting life options if they are poor. Adolescent girls are marginalized or entirely invisible in development policy, yet their role in communities and populations make them a critical asset to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). International donors and development partners have started to recognize the critical role adolescent girls play in achieving the MDGs. The purpose of the Adolescent Girls Programming and Capacity-building Workshop was …
Kenya's Fertility Transition: Trends, Determinants And Implications For Policy And Programmes, Ian Askew, Alex C. Ezeh, John Bongaarts, John Townsend
Kenya's Fertility Transition: Trends, Determinants And Implications For Policy And Programmes, Ian Askew, Alex C. Ezeh, John Bongaarts, John Townsend
Reproductive Health
In Africa, fertility rates in the 1990s declined less rapidly than had been projected, and in a few cases the fertility transition appears to have stalled. This development has serious implications for future population growth because projected population size is sensitive to minor variations in current fertility trends. The 16 countries with three DHS surveys in sub-Saharan Africa can be divided into three subgroups: stalled transitions, insignificant declines, and significant declines. Half of the 16 countries experienced a stall, and an additional two experienced insignificant declines. The Population Council prepared a series of demographic and policy analyses that drew from …
The Making Of The Kenya Sexual Offenses Act, 2006: Behind The Scenes, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Njoki Ndung'u, Nancy Baraza, Harriet Birungi
The Making Of The Kenya Sexual Offenses Act, 2006: Behind The Scenes, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Njoki Ndung'u, Nancy Baraza, Harriet Birungi
Reproductive Health
Kenya’s enactment of the Sexual Offenses Bill in 2006 was a milestone in dealing with sexual offenses and gender-based violence. The bill is Kenya’s first legal recognition of the many sex crimes that occur in the country. Among other things, the law criminalizes deliberate transmission of HIV/AIDS and provides rape victims with free medical care and counseling in public institutions. Convicted rapists will now face a minimum sentence of ten years, while a maximum penalty will be life imprisonment. A retrospective study was conducted to document the process leading to the enactment of the law. The objective was to document …
A Religious Oriented Approach To Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Among The Somali Community Of Wajir, Kenya, Maryam Sheikh Abdi, Ian Askew
A Religious Oriented Approach To Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Among The Somali Community Of Wajir, Kenya, Maryam Sheikh Abdi, Ian Askew
Reproductive Health
The Somali ethnic community, in Kenya as well in Somalia, Djibouti, and Ethiopia, has practiced genital cutting for centuries and the practice appears to have remained largely unchanged. The community practices the severest form of FGM/C, type III or infibulation. The Population Council’s FRONTIERS program, with support from USAID/Kenya, carried out two studies to better understand the practice of FGM/C among the Somalis in North Eastern Province so as to inform the design and implementation of interventions that would encourage abandonment of the practice. Both studies collected data through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with community and religious leaders, …
Standards Required In Maintaining The Chain Of Evidence In The Context Of Post Rape Care Services: Findings Of A Study Conducted In Kenya, Carol Ajema, Emily Rogena, Hadley Muchela, Buluma Bwire, Nduku Kilonzo
Standards Required In Maintaining The Chain Of Evidence In The Context Of Post Rape Care Services: Findings Of A Study Conducted In Kenya, Carol Ajema, Emily Rogena, Hadley Muchela, Buluma Bwire, Nduku Kilonzo
Reproductive Health
Sexual violence (SV) is a serious societal problem that creates significant challenges to local communities in their attempt to create an overall plan for meeting the medical, emotional, physical safety, and legal needs of SV survivors. It is important to understand the existing links between the health sector and police as a basis for addressing the complexities surrounding SV. Appropriate management of SV survivors requires a standardized clinical evaluation, an effective interface with law enforcement for the handling of forensic evidence, and coordination of the continuum of care. From the public health perspective, the issues to be addressed revolve around …