Sexual and reproductive health and rights: Africa’s lifesaving actions for adolescents
In a timely and powerful new documentary, African Union Media Fellow Tuyeimo Haidula investigates the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) landscape across the African continent, focusing on the life-threatening challenges adolescents face.Titled Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Africa’s Lifesaving Actions for Adolescents, the documentary premieres on NTV Africa on Africa Day, 25 May 2025 - a day that celebrates the unity, resilience and progress of the continent.
Furthermore, the film delivers an urgent and necessary narrative that speaks to the future of Africa: its youth.
The documentary offers an unflinching look at the devastating impact of restrictive abortion laws, limited access to reproductive healthcare, and the consequences of unsafe, backstreet abortions, especially on girls and young women aged 15 to 19.
Featuring interviews with medical experts, policy advocates, and notable voices such as Namibia’s former First Lady Monica Geingos, the film amplifies stories of resilience while asking a critical question: “Should we improve access to safe abortion by enhancing access to comprehensive reproductive health services in Africa?”
A continent in crisis
According to the World Health Organisation, 97% of all unsafe abortions occur in developing countries, with nearly half taking place under the least safe conditions in Africa. While the Maputo Protocol remains the only human rights instrument on the continent that explicitly recognises abortion rights, 44 out of 49 ratifying African Union member states have placed reservations on Article 14(2)(c), effectively weakening its impact. This failure leaves countless adolescents vulnerable, without access to essential health education, safe services, or the means to control their reproductive lives.
Filmed inside Windhoek Central and Katutura State Hospitals, the documentary captures the real-time impact of unsafe abortions. It showcases the tireless work of Namibian healthcare professionals providing critical care to affected adolescents.
The film also highlights innovative grassroots and international solutions - including the “Carma Plus” campaign, which integrates sexual and reproductive health, rights, and HIV services - aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 3.7 and 5.6 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
A call for change
The release of this documentary coincides with global advocacy efforts, including the Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion (28 September). The African Union itself has acknowledged unsafe abortion as a leading but under-addressed cause of maternal mortality, making the case for urgent reform stronger than ever.
The people behind this production are Maria David (researcher), a community reporter who began her journalism career in 2014; Tuyeimo Haidula (executive producer), a multi-award-winning health and community journalist with over a decade of experience reporting across Namibia, South Africa, India, and the United Kingdom; and Peace Ncube (director), a journalist with an Honours degree in Media Studies and English from the University of Namibia (UNAM).