UKR1R301 — Increasing Awareness of Young People in Ukraine on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Safe Behaviour

01 January 2006 — 31 December 2010

Background and Justification 

The first Ukrainian national population census that was conducted in 2001 showed that the population of adolescents and youth from 14 to 28 years of age amounts to 11 % of the total population.

Under the impact of overwhelming economic and political issues, including the 2004 Presidential elections in Ukraine, important societal problems, such as population development, safe behaviour adoption, and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) promotion have stepped back in the scale of relative priorities among youth. The negative results of such revision of priorities are seen both in the statistics of national and international organizations as well as in daily life.

Over the past 5 years majority of health indicators for 14-28 years age group have significantly worsened with a higher number of cases of HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, and drug and alcohol abuse.

Since 2002 Ukraine has become the European leader in the HIV infection incidence growth rates. According to the official data, there are over 80,000 registered HIV-positive people. According to the UN Situational Analysis (2004), 1.4% of population in Ukraine (or over 650,000 people) lives with HIV/AIDS and the growth rate of HIV-infected people is 20-25% per year. Of all HIV-positive people, 50% are injecting drug users (IDUs). Yet, the proportion of this group is persistently declining which poses evidence that HIV epidemic is no longer limited to the group of IDUs, but prospers among general population. Sexual way of HIV transmission becomes the dominant one thus challenging educational and healthcare systems. For example, the percentage of young people using condoms is increasing very slowly. In the age group of 15-20 years old, the increase in the use of condoms from 1999 to 2004 was only 3% (based on Situational
Analysis: Reproductive and Sexual Health of Adolescents in Ukraine 1999; 2004).

Despite substantial level of knowledge on SRH issues (from 14% to 94% of respondents know about HIV in various age groups from 14 to 28 years old) the behavioural patterns of the young people as well as statistics continuously show that knowledge often remains ignored in real life situations. At the same time, from 14% to 22% of young people believe that the threat of HIV is no concern of theirs. More than half of young people periodically use psychoactive substances. They begin to use them in the age of 11-15 years old (26.4% of respondents). About one third of respondents had sexual experience under the influence of psychoactive substances. A survey conducted in 2004 and supported by UNFPA noted that only 8.8 % of sexually active girls aged 15-18 and 14.4% of girls aged 19-20 used oral contraceptives. The figures for condom use by male partners were 30.7% for males aged 15-18 and 51% for males aged 19-20, which is very low. About 10% of girls aged 15-18 among those surveyed had some disease of the genitourinary system. Statistics show an increase of 55 % over the past five years in pelvic inflammatory disease among girls aged from 15 to 17, which poses a major risk to future infertility.

There are many factors showing that the level of young people’s awareness of these facts as well the level of responsibility in reproductive health, that are often referred to as the level of sexual culture, remain rather low in Ukraine. The facts prove that risky behaviour practiced by adolescents and young people in Ukraine make them especially vulnerable to contracting HIV/AIDS/STI.

The results of the sociological study conducted within the framework of the GYP project in Ukraine, revealed that the level of interest in youth programmes on the part of key decision makers is low. At the same time, young people demonstrate increased interest in participation in decision-making processes on issues related to young people.

Therefore, there is a large range of open problems that need to be addressed without delay using efficient strategies that result in behaviour changes of young people, and their active participation in decision-making regarding their own health. This process requires improvement of integrated prevention, treatment and care services, and support to the process at local, regional, and national levels with delegation of specific decisions to young people.

Strategy

The output of this Sub-Component is an increased awareness of young people about sexual and reproductive health and safe behaviour, as well as promotion of youth participation in decision-making processes regarding their own health, behaviour and rights. To achieve this output it is planned to implement a number of actions that will form the foundation for efficient increase of information-education communication of UNFPA and its partner-organizations that target young people. Special emphasis will be made on work with students and youth NGOs.

Interventions in 2006 will focus on implementation of youth-led advocacy mechanisms for HIV infection prevention, SRH and reproductive rights promotion, safe behaviour formation, and youth involvement in decision-making processes. Among others, activities will include support to All-Ukrainian Student Council, Student Parliament, development of advocacy strategy, implementation of youth advocacy projects in different regions of Ukraine, educational and knowledge sharing activities on advocacy issues in UNFPA priority topics.

UNFPA will cooperate with unions of student organizations (parliament, councils) in order to involve maximum number of students to SRH promotion and safe behaviour formation process. Youth education will be conducted through student organizations and NGOs working with young people in informal settings.

Within the framework of the sub-component, UNFPA will implement an integrated mix of proven approaches that will ensure increased awareness of young people on SRH issues and will facilitate behaviour changes towards safer patterns. These approaches include:

• Initiatives that can reach broad segments of young people (such as public information efforts, formation of youth NGO networks, distance learning courses, etc.)
• Initiatives that link young people (especially those at increased risk of undermining their behaviour and SRH) and provide them with adequate expertise (such as peer education networks, groups of self- and joint support, voluntary counselling services by peers, etc.)
• Initiatives that are personalized, extensive and provide ongoing contact and follow-up for behaviour change (such as prevention case management, behaviour changing communication (BCC), safe behaviour formation, etc.)

Tentatively, stakeholders for UNFPA youth-related activities include Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine; Ministry of Ukraine for Family, Youth, and Sports; State Centre of Social Services for Family, Children and Youth; Ministry of Health of Ukraine; UNICEF; UNDP; youth NGOs network “KRONA”; student councils, parliaments, and unions.

In the course of the sub-component implementation, both the technical and expert potential of the partners will be strengthened, preparing them for active participation in the activities within the framework of the UNFPA Country Programme for 2006-2010 on issues related to young people.