2024 IAHW: FG to increase adolescent nutrition, combats gender-based violence – Minister
By Matthew Denis
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate has disclosed that they’re working in collaboration with other government agencies to increase adolescent nutrition and combat gender based violence in the society.
The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Daju Shangti Kachollom made the disclosure at the 2024 International Adolescent Health Week (IAHW) held in Abuja on Thursday.
According to the Minister, the ministry is working to improve adolescent nutrition, combat gender-based violence, and ensure young people have the information they need to make informed decisions about their health and future.
“One of the most pressing issues facing our adolescents today is mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, etc, which are on the rise, with many young people suffering in silence due to stigma, lack of awareness, and insufficient access to care.
“To address these issues, the ministry has established the National Mental Health program. It is saddled to roll out policies to raise awareness about mental health, reduce stigma, and provide adolescents with the support and care they need. Mental health must be treated with the same urgency and importance as physical health. “
While speaking on this year’s theme, “Thriving, Not Surviving: Building Adolescents’ Resilience,” the Minister said “we are called to action, to ensure that the young people of today are growing, flourishing, and equipped to navigate life’s challenges with resilience, strength and confidence.
“Adolescence is a critical stage of life. It is a time of rapid physical, emotional, and mental development. Our young people are shaping their identities, exploring their passions, and setting the foundation for the adults they will become. But it is also a period marked by significant vulnerability.
“They face challenges ranging from mental health issues, gender-based violence, substance abuse, and risky sexual behaviors, bullying in addition to structural barriers like poverty, poor access to quality healthcare, and lack of education.
“Our role, as policymakers, health practitioners, educators, and community leaders, is to create environments that nurture resilience by providing adolescents with access to comprehensive healthcare, mental health support, quality education, and safe spaces by ensuring they have the tools, knowledge, and support they need, to not only survive but thrive.
The Minister emphasized that the ministry remains committed to strengthening adolescent health systems across Nigeria by intensifying efforts to integrate adolescent-specific services into primary healthcare through initiatives like the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project, which ensures that adolescent girls have access to menstrual hygiene, reproductive health education, and mental health support services noting that this initiative promotes male child inclusion to earn their understanding and support.
The highlights of the Programme were speeches from the adolescents from various schools within the FCT and goodwill messages from partners.
