EXPLORING UNMARRIED FEMALE ADOLESCENTS’ CONCERNS ABOUT ACCESSING AND USING MODERN CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS IN BENUE STATE

Abstract

It is an undeniable fact that in most developing countries, unmarried female adolescents face many challenges obtaining the basic sexual and reproductive health services they need. One of the issues that have profound impact on adolescents’ and young people’s sexual and reproductive health is contraception. This article explores the issue of unmarried female adolescents’ concerns about barriers to accessing and using modern contraceptive methods in Benue State, Nigeria. With the need to understand the issue at a deeper level, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) approach was used to elicit data. Eight (8) FGD sessions were conducted with sixty-six (66) female adolescents. The paper identifies three basic concerns of participants relating to sexual and reproductive services especially contraception: slut shaming, attitudes of health care providers (lack of trust) and side effects. This study sheds light on how these concerns are related to participants’ sexual health and agency. Finding indicates that engaging in other sexual activities while abstaining from penetrative sex is one of the ways some female adolescents in the study area navigate the sexual terrain. Finally, the study recommends that adolescents should be given adequate access to information and services pertaining to sexuality and contraceptive use in order to enhance their sexual health and reduce risk.