Sexual health: displaced adolescent girls in Kalehe face a lack of information

Adolescent girls living at displacement sites in Kalehe territory, South Kivu, say they have limited access to information about sexual and reproductive health. At the Rambo site in Bunyakiri, 15-year-old Neema says her parents never discuss the subject and she does not know whom to ask. Family taboos and a lack of awareness-raising lead some girls to seek advice from peers or adults who may not have reliable information, leaving them at risk of early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Local parent Jean-Paul Birindwa traces the silence to longstanding cultural customs, while local authorities acknowledge the difficulties.