Background: Plan International uses women and girl's empowerment index (WGEI) in measuring the realization of sexual reproductive health and rights of women and girls including access to/ decision making around FP for adolescent girls 15-19 & young women 20-24. GAC supported ASPIRE project collected baseline account for Bauchi and Sokoto using WGEI. The measurement considers 5 domains such as roles and responsibilities, control and access, decision making, social norms & role of duty bearers.
Materials and Methods: 1,800 AGYW (15-19 and 20-24) were interviewed in Bauchi and Sokoto states with mixed-methods approach using quantitative & qualitative data findings.
Results:
FP related highlights (age/state disaggregated data available)
- Average level of decision making amongst AGYW regarding SRH services is 37.6%.
- 64.2% of (15-24) disagree It is a woman's responsibility to avoid pregnancy.
- Access to commodities (sub-domain) assessed that 45.2% (AGYW) find it difficult to access modern contraception,
- 12.2% of AGYW respondents (7.6% of AG aged 15-19 and 17.4% of YW aged 20-24) received a visit at home in the last 6 months by a health worker providing SRH information including modern contraceptives. Amongst them, only 1.8% of AGYW (0.7% of AG aged 15-19 and 3.7% of YW aged 20-24) received modern contraceptives.
- 83.7% of AGYW declared their parents decide how many children to have, and 36.7% of AGYW declared that participating in the decision-making was not applicable to their situation
- 68.8% reported that husband has the final say in which birth control to use.
Conclusions: The very small proportion of AGYW in a union/with a partner currently utilizing contraception (15.6%) and the gender inequality with a level of 42% on the WGEI for AGYW 15-24, reflected low levels of SRHR awareness and a patriarchal tradition.
