First Lady Monica Geingos has called on schools to include sexual education in their curriculum and to empower young women about their sexual rights.

Geingos said this here on Friday during the closing ceremony of the three-day Eastern and Southern Africa regional consultation event on HIV Prevention and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights for Adolescent Girls and Young Women.

“We need to teach our young girls about their sexual rights and HIV prevention process,” she said.

Geingos noted that sexual abuse is high in schools, thus there is a need to speak to young women through sexual education.

The First Lady stressed that girls need to be educated on how to face challenges in life and how to solve problems without the support of their parents.

“They have to learn to be independent, because one day we will pass on and they will not be able to solve their problems,” she said.

Geingos urged parents and teachers to be open with children and listen to them in order to detect sexual abuse or rape against young girls.

Speaking at the same occasion, Gogontlejang Phaladi, the executive director of the Gogontlejang Phaladi Pillar of Hope Project in Botswana, appealed for financial and capacity building support from donors toward youth organistions in order to implement youth projects.

Phaladi, who is also representing the African Youth and Adolescent Network on Population and Development, called for the involvement of young people in decision making process as representatives of the masses.

“We need youth engagement in the lifespan of the project, especially projects involving the youth in our countries,” she said.

Phaladi added that there is a need to scale up the one-stop-shop for the youth to access HIV treatment, HIV information and contraceptives in their communities.

The meeting was organised by the Ministry of Health and Social Services in partnership with the World Health Organisation; Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids; United States President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief; and United States Agency for International Development.

It aims to elaborate approaches and strategies on how best to reach adolescent girls and young women with HIV prevention in the context of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

More than 100 delegates from 12 eastern and southern African countries, as well as development agencies are attending the meeting. These include technical experts, advocates, major donors, government officials and representatives of civil society organisations.