“Sent Home to Suffer”: Calls Grow for Law Allowing Adolescents to Access Healthcare

By Edith Mwiinga 17 July 2026 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FdqL4QZYC/ At 6 a.m. on a Tuesday, 17-year-old Chanda Mwale began a 20-kilometre journey from her village in Kafue to the district hospital. She had been sexually assaulted the previous night and urgently needed medical attention, including emergency contraception. After spending most of the day at the hospital, Chanda left at 3 p.m. without receiving treatment. “The nurse said I was a minor and that I needed my parent or a police report,” Chanda recalled. “My aunt came the next day, but the nurse said it was too late.” Her experience has become part of a growing campaign by youth organisations, healthcare professionals and child-rights advocates calling for the adoption of a Model Law on Adolescent Healthcare Access across the Southern African Development Community, including Zambia. Consent requirements delaying urgent care Under Zambia’s current legal framework, some people below the ages of 16 or 18 cannot independently consent to certain forms of medical treatment. They may be required to obtain permission from a parent, guardian or authorised state representative. Advocates argue that these requirements create dangerous delays for adolescents seeking sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception, treatment for sexually transmitted infections, antenatal services and post-assault care. “The parent may be in another town, the social welfare officer may have too many cases, and the clinic may already be far away,” said Dr Lindiwe Ndlovu, Head of Paediatrics at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka. “We tell a child who has walked 20 kilometres to go to the police first and then return. Most do not come back. For emergency contraception, every hour matters.” Health and youth organisations say these barriers do not protect adolescents. Instead, they discourage young people from seeking care until their health conditions become more serious. Ministry of Health data indicates that adolescent pregnancy remains one of the major causes of school dropout among girls aged 15 to 19 in Zambia. Campaigners believe that delayed or denied access to healthcare contributes directly to unintended pregnancies, HIV infections and interruptions to education. “It does not prevent sexual activity,” said Miriam Banda, Programme Manager at the Regional Youth Health Coalition. “It delays care until complications arise. Then we see teenage pregnancies, HIV and girls leaving school.” What the proposed Model Law would change The draft Model Law, coordinated by Youth Advocates, does not seek to change or lower the legal age of sexual consent. Instead, it proposes allowing adolescents aged 12 and above to consent independently to essential healthcare services. The proposal contains three main provisions. First, adolescents would be allowed to access sexual and reproductive health services, mental healthcare and emergency treatment without first obtaining parental approval. Second, existing reporting responsibilities would remain in place. Where there are signs of abuse or criminal activity, healthcare workers would still be required to report the matter to the Victim Support Unit and other responsible authorities. However, urgent medical treatment would not be delayed while legal procedures were being completed. Third, healthcare professionals who provide appropriate treatment in good faith would be protected from legal liability. “Let the child access healthcare with dignity,” said Tatenda Songore, Executive Director of Youth Advocates and lead drafter of the proposed Model Law. “If a crime was committed, let the Victim Support Unit and the courts deal with it. Healthcare should not be made conditional on completing a legal process first.” Songore warned that requiring consent from a parent or guardian can be especially dangerous when the guardian is involved in the abuse. “When we require a guardian to consent and that guardian is the abuser, the case can be buried,” he said. “The child is failed twice.” Concerns from parents and faith leaders The coalition expects opposition from some parents, faith leaders and policymakers who fear that allowing adolescents to obtain reproductive healthcare independently could encourage early sexual activity. Campaigners reject that argument, saying access to healthcare should not be confused with permission to engage in sexual activity. “Our response is evidence,” Songore said. “Countries with similar provisions have not recorded increases in sexual activity. They have recorded improvements in health outcomes, including reductions in maternal deaths and school dropout.” Supporters of the Model Law argue that its purpose is to protect adolescents who are already facing health emergencies, abuse, pregnancy, mental-health challenges or the risk of infection. They maintain that parental involvement should still be encouraged where it is safe and appropriate, but it should not become an absolute barrier to essential treatment. Model Law heading to SADC Parliamentary Forum The proposed Model Law is expected to be presented to the SADC Parliamentary Forum in Windhoek next quarter. Before the presentation, Youth Advocates plans to conduct 10 community dialogues in Lusaka, Ndola and Livingstone. The meetings will bring together traditional leaders, teachers, parents, healthcare professionals and young people to discuss the proposal and address public concerns. Josephine Lungu, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, said the committee would review the draft. “We cannot ignore what is happening on the ground,” Lungu said. “We must balance child protection with timely access to care.” Chanda is now 18 and has returned to Grade 11 through a school re-entry programme. For her, the proposed law represents hope that another adolescent will not experience the same rejection she faced. “I do not want another girl to walk that distance and be sent home with nothing,” she said. Youth Advocates is a Zimbabwe-based organisation with a presence in Lusaka, Zambia. It works on adolescent health, education and legal reform across Southern Africa.